I Missed You For Twenty Nine Years
by CileSuns92
Summary: A fresh out of college Meredith and Derek, second year surgical resident, hit Europe for the summer. A journey through friendship and secret feelings while overcoming the past and maybe finally discovering more about themselves. A journey that will probably change their lives forever. / AU, even if some familiar faces will pop out along the way. OFFICIALLY ON HIATUS! (see ch. 13)
1. In The City Of Blinding Lights

**As promised, in July a new story showed up. This one had been baking in my mental oven for a long, long time. It won't be usual, but I still hope you will like it. I will ramble more at the end, I feel like I'll give away too much if I say things here. This chapter sort of presents things so any more explanations are not really needed.**

******A big thank you to my Beta _MusicWritesMyLife_ that offered to help me with the flow of this story. For once I have a Beta from chapter 1 and I'll be forever grateful.**

**Song for the title is _Slow Show by The National_. Song for the chapter is _City Of Blinding Lights by U2_.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy or anything that will appear in this story, I'm just borrowing them for entertainment. References to living and breathing people are casual and you shouldn't read much into it. Personal experience my pop in here and there, but when it doesn't?**

_**I Missed You For Twenty-Nine Years**_

**Chapter 1 – The City Of Blinding Lights**

Meredith Grey was proud of herself.

Leaving Boston behind had been a relief, more because her mother remained behind rather than leaving the city per se. She had come to like Boston in the seventeen years she had lived there.

Moving from Seattle at the age of five didn't shocked her as much as it could have; the fact that her father left her completely alone with an uncaring mother, _that_ had been the problem.

She had basically finished college and she needed some time to think. She had enrolled in Pre Med to become a surgeon, she excelled in it, but she needed time to think if that was what she really wanted to do for the rest of her life.

She liked helping people, she liked surgery or at least she had grown accustomed to it, since she had lived in the hospital practically more than in her own house. She was used to being alone too and the fact that surgeons had crappy, lonely lives didn't scared her. She knew it was better being alone than having a kid and neglecting him or her.

She had never believed in happily ever afters either.

She didn't have many friends in college, she partied, but she never had someone she would tell every story to, she was a private person. She had party friends, one night stands and tequila. José Cuervo was her best friend.

Meredith looked around herself right outside the Grand Central Station, New York, drinking in the sight.

She had grabbed a few of her mother's credit cards, packed a backpack and just left. She had always wanted to have a backpacking tour of Europe and her friend Sadie offered excitedly to go with her, only to ditch her a few days before the departure from Boston.

She didn't cancel her ticket to Rome though.

Despite having tons of money in her mother's account, she still had college fees and maybe Med School to pay, so she decided to not waste away anything and flying from LaGuardia was still a lot cheaper than from Boston, so she hopped on a train with her backpack and there she was, New York City, the infamous Big Apple.

She didn't know New York that well and she had ten hours to spare before her flight. She decided to grab a coffee and stroll around for a while, feel the new-found freedom and independence.

She walked aimlessly, looking around and taking in every little detail. She was used to seeing things alone and it didn't make them any less exciting.

Her life had been so full of downs that she never expected the ups to come around. She was surviving and if surviving meant taking a summer off to visit Europe before graduating from college, she was really open to the alternative.

Sadie had planned the trip with her, but at the last moment she realized that she was behind with exams and she needed to catch up. Meredith instead left Dartmouth without any regret. Honestly, she wasn't leaving anything in New England, except for her studies.

Her phone rang and she groaned when she read the ID.

"Meredith, where on Earth are you?" her mother's raging voice reached her ear even before she could bring the phone to her ear.

"I'm in New York, Mother," she said smugly, like it was the most normal thing to say to your mother.

"What the...Why are you there, miss?"

"I told you, I'm going to Europe for a while."

"Oh, that's news to me."

"It's not my fault the only things you remember are surgeries!" she bit back and she could already imagine her mother's reaction.

She was sick of pretending to be okay with the way her mother treated her, she was sick of being different, of not having a father and she just wanted to be. Live freely, for a little while. There wasn't a day in Dartmouth that she wasn't reminded what a good surgeon her mother is and she needed -physically, mentally, socially- to leave all that behind.

She was tired of being a shadow.

"I don't want you to talk to me like that ever again, Meredith Elizabeth!"

"I don't care what you want anymore, Mom. I really don't! I need time to be by myself, okay? Make my own damn decisions for once!" her voice rose, before she could disconnect the call and grunt.

Her eyes closed and she sighed, trying to calm her rage, her face lifting up to the sky.

When she reopened her eyes, she was fenced between the skyscrapers, almost like a trap closing around her, the blue, cloudless sky just a tiny square, stretching far away from her.

She just needed some time to think and live.

Could she have that?

* * *

Derek Shepherd was tired.

Each bone in his body ached, even his stapes. Being a first year resident sucked the little life left in him from his internship. Which was basically nothing. No social life, no new friends, no time for family. He was a wreck.

A dumped wreck.

He loved being a surgeon, he finally felt like all the years he had spent studying instead of partying were worth something. But then, something was missing. And it surely wasn't Rose.

He knew he had been distant because of work, but going from an engagement to being left at the altar while his whole family witnessed it was another story entirely. It was cheap and humiliating and so typical of Rose that he had no idea how did the get there in the first place. Maybe his mind had been clouded with too much caffeine and too little sleep.

When he finally found himself at the airport he sighed in relief.

He needed the break, he had some time off and the best change of scenery had been offered by his sister Amelia, who was currently studying Architecture in Rome and was apparently having a blast there. She was also the only one who couldn't be there for that shame of non-wedding and for once he was grateful, because she was the only one in his family who didn't look at him like he was a lost puppy or worse, like he was about to die. Amelia was young, fresh, carefree, exactly what Derek had been missing in all the two years he had spent with Rose.

Mark had warned him for a long time that he was becoming "boring" but Derek didn't listen. And yet he was paying the consequences of it. He was flying alone to his sister's place instead of being on a honeymoon.

But then, in the bigger picture, for a couple of weeks he could pretended that medicine didn't exist. No scuts, no ER to cover, no blood and guts everywhere, no sleepless nights on call. Nothing of that sort. Just family and laughter because surely, being with Amy, he wasn't going to be the same boring Derek. That Derek was going to remain in New York.

The airport was busy and he was strangely late. He was always on time, but maybe the new Derek wasn't.

He stood in a line to swap the ticket he had purchased for Hawaii and instead bought a single one to Rome, without an ounce of regret, being honest with himself. Then he moved with his suitcase to find the gate where he was supposed to start his journey. When he reached the spot, the hostess closed the gate right behind his back and he sighed in relief.

In the lane in front of him there were all kinds of people, from an elderly couple with eyes shining with love, to toddlers barely able to stand as they clung to their parent's legs for support.

He had wanted that life for so long -the getting old with somebody, kids to play catch or have tea parties in pink rooms with, a satisfying job- that maybe he had even lost perspective. He dreamed of things without considering who he wanted to have all them with. It wasn't even about Rose anymore. It was about him.

Along the way, he had lost himself and the biggest question in his mind at the moment was: where could he find that man again? Where was the faith hiding?

Maybe Rome had all the answers, maybe not, but for the time being, he really hoped it did.

* * *

**So, this is where both Meredith and Derek stand. It's not much, I know, but I'll be moving the story forward soon. Meredith just graduated college and is unsure if she wants to go to Mer School. Derek is almost a second year resident. They are in an airport. The rest you will have to take it on faith ;)**

**This will be a real journey, not in the metaphorical sense of the word I usually mean it. They will literally travel. You'll know how and where and why in the next chapters, but buckle in, because Meredith and Derek hit Europe! :D**

**You can xpect an update soon. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up a schedule, but there will be at least one update a week, unless I say otherwise. I have some things banked already so don't fear any writer's block yet.**

**I really hope you enjoyed this first part because there are many more to come, I'd dare say around 30, but who knows? Maybe more? Maybe less? You just have to travel with me to find out.**


	2. Come Fly With Me

**So, I'm really happy many of you enjoyed this story so far. Thank you for the reviews and the alerts. I know I promised a rather quick update, but this past weekend I was really busy helping out at the local festival and it sucked the time out of me.**

**Things are starting to move here so I'm sure you'd like this a lot better.**

**_Come Fly With Me_ is a pretty song by _Michael Bublé_. I don't own it, that you know.**

* * *

**Chapter ****2 – Come Fly With Me**

* * *

Drained of all her energy after a long day sightseeing, Meredith finally slumped on the mildly comfortable seat in economic class.

She remembered in first class once travelling with her mother as they went to a conference in Orlando and she had been bribed with a visit to Disneyland. That had been the time of her life, even if her mother never appeared in any photos she had taken.

She stretched her legs as far as she could, then pulled out a textbook and a pencil from her carry-on bag and opened Advanced Chemistry. Surely, it wasn't a leisure lecture; she'd probably take notes along the way, but when she got back to Boston she had her final exam to take, before graduating, a semester earlier than any other student in her year.

She was deep into reading her first paragraph already, when someone cleared their throat, startled her. She looked up and her gaze met two endless blue eyes.

They stared at each other for a long moment, before the stranger smiled. It lit up his whole face, enhancing the already great features Meredith was staring at. He had neatly trimmed hair, barely-there stubble that gave him a ruggedly handsome quality, a gorgeous smile and a crooked, but well-fitting nose.

In other-words, he was hot.

"Uh, I..." the stranger stammered, pointing at the seat next to Meredith's, between her and the window.

"I'm sorry" Meredith whispered, gathering her book and papers and sitting up so quickly that her pencil fell on the ground.

The handsome man, McDreamy she dubbed him, placed his bag securely over their heads, then bent to pick up her pencil before she even noticed it fell.

He handed it over and she took it as her cheeks burned, moving aside to let him sit. He smiled again when she said a muffled 'thank you' before she quickly sat again and tried her best to focus back on her book, ignoring the way that man made her lose any train of thought.

She could feel his eyes on her. She didn't know why, but the guy had a certain something that attracted her more than any other man had before. _She wasn't even drunk!_

When she looked up for a beat, she realized that the stranger was still looking at her. Caught, he turned to the window with a guilty smile on his perfectly kissable lips.

She waited for him to turn back to her, meanwhile she studied his physique. He was a little taller than her, his body fit but not built enough to say that he lifted weights regularly. He didn't look like an athlete either, but he surely worked because she'd noticed when he gave her back the pencil that his hands were rough. It wasn't a bad rough, just unexpected, since his figure was neat and he seemed someone who invested a lot in his appearance.

"Hi" he startled her again, and again she blushed like a schoolgirl. _This ride was going to be hell_.

"Hello" she whispered back.

"Thank you" he said, that broad smile appearing on his face again.

"Uh, you're welcome?" she replied, an amused frown on her brow while she managed a nervous smile.

"For the seat." he clarified, seeing her puzzled expression "I know you gave up the ticket and I'm so grateful"

"Ah, I...My friend couldn't come with me and I had these two seats so I decided that maybe somebody would need it and I converted my ticket" she rambled and he smiled widely.

"I'm thanking your friend as well, then"

"I'm not" she blurted, without even thinking, and then she hid herself back in her book.

"Why?" he pried, but she didn't budge.

He chuckled, low and deep as so not to disturb the other passengers, but the flight attendants' voice and the rumble of the starting engine covered it.

Meredith sighed loudly; she had never liked the take off. Never ever.

She gripped her book tightly and pretended not to be affected by the movement, but she had to close her eyes and relax against the back of the seat as the plane left the ground, her hand suddenly gripping tightly the armrest.

When they were finally in the air she let out the breath she was holding, then turned to McDreamy next to her and saw that he was grinning. Again.

"Amused by other people's fears?" she asked

"No, I had the same issue before; you just have to pretend you're somewhere else as you take off and not think about all the possible things that could go wrong"

"I see" she said amused, like he was a little child "Where did you learn that?"

"One of those books" he shrugged off, pointing at her lap.

"So you find air travel tips in Advanced Chemistry?" she was smiling widely now, trying to mask her laugh with a smirk.

"Nope, but in Anatomy you do. Pre-Med, right?" he guessed and when her face fell he chuckled.

"How did you...?" she said, closing protectively the book

"I had the same book when I was in Pre-Med. I see that things haven't changed a bit at Bowdoin"

"Dartmouth" she whispered

"Nice" he grinned "How long before graduation?"

"Just Advanced Chem between me and that damn day"

"Study trip? Exchange?"

"Well, actually I'm taking a vacation. I'm one semester earlier than the rest of my class and I just needed it. Needed some perspective"

"So you're heading to Rome" he seemed amused by her choice and she couldn't help but get mesmerized by the way his eyes crinkled when he was amused.

"Yep. Good food, good wine, handsome boys. Heaven, basically" she smirked, stressing the handsome boys part and wishing that in Rome at least one could match the handsomeness of McDreamy here. "What about you? Business trip?"

"My sister is studying Architecture in Rome for her last year and I wanted to join her for this holidays, since I actually have time off." he sighed, smiling, but there was a lingering sadness there.

"Busy much?"

"You could say that. I'm a surgeon. Okay, a wannabe neurosurgeon" he corrected with a smile "Second year of residency is coming up"

"Wow" she replied unexpectedly, unable to contain her wonder.

"You're planning on being a surgeon too?"

"Maybe. Just figuring things out as I go. My friend was supposed to be where you are sitting but since she's not, I took this vacation to empty my mind and find a different perspective"

"And you're going alone?"

"Of course, I've been dreaming of going to Europe since I can remember." she shrugged off.

"Hmm, stubborn, I like it." he grinned and she felt like melting at this point. _Why wasn't all this awkward?_

"How long are you planning on staying with your sister?" she kept questioning, just because she liked talking to the dreamy stranger.

"Well, I have two weeks off, then my vacations starts and then I guess I'll have a couple of weeks more for myself, since our hospital is being renewed and they're closing to move all the stuff to the new building"

"Wow, that's a lot"

"Yep" he smiled "I really need it. Yesterday I slept for like...sixteen hours?" he asked himself, making Meredith giggle and as he chuckled, she was again mesmerized. She loved hearing him chuckle.

"You piled up lots of days off" she stated then.

As soon as she mentioned this, his smile became a thin line and a veil of sadness fell over him. "These two weeks were supposed to be my honeymoon" he said gravely, then managed an unhappy smile.

"I'm sorry" she apologized immediately, but he shrugged it off .

"It's fine, I'm leaving to get over it. It's been a couple of months since she left. I mean, I was standing there in my tux and she appears, dressed casually, she has her bags packed, she says she can't go through it and she calls off the wedding. At least she had the decency to leave me before going to Barbados or something with the other guy."

"That's rough" Meredith said sincerely, once more grateful that her longest relationship lasted maybe two nights.

"I'm sorry, I'm sure you don't want to hear about some stranger's problems" he shrugged it off, picking up the brochure the airline had left for his seat and pretending to read it.

"It's fine, really, just keep talking, I'll go back to my book" she grinned mischievously and she finally made him chuckle again.

"Thank you" he said as his laughter tuned down, the brochure already forgotten. "I should let you study though"

"Don't bother, my exam is in eons" she waved her hand, grinning. "It's nice having someone to talk to"

"Well, we're both traveling alone and you gave me the seat, the least I could do is make friendly conversation" he smirked, tilting his head to the side and she already knew he did that every time he wanted to impress her. It was the McDreamy smile.

"Uh, uh" she nodded amused, once again pretending to ignore him by reading the title of the paragraph for the fifth time. That book definitely had her undivided attention.

"So what's your name?" he asked

"I'm just a girl on a plane"

"And I'm just a guy on a plane, then" his full fledged smile made her almost buckle and spill everything about her even her bank account code, but she quickly recovered.

"What's your story?"

"I don't have one"

"Everybody does. I told you mine"

"You know most of it, actually" she smiled widely

"Oh, we're both here, hiding our pains, then" he smirked.

"Sort of" she smiled back, unable to contain it.

He looked at the page she was unsuccessfully trying to read and grinned cockily "You know, I can help you study, if you want"

"Humor me" she mocked him, hiding the page from his view.

"C'mon, I'm good at this. I graduated first in my class, best intern in my year" he pleaded with his eyes and she smirked.

She closed the book with a thud and put it away, pulling out a worn book instead, its pages a little yellow and the cover marked by the time.

"So you're avoiding my help?" he snickered, peeking at the cover of the book, but not recognizing it, since her hands were all over it.

"Yep, deep into fantasy world instead of atomic numbers" she smiled secretly, then purposely pulled up the cover and hid herself in there.

"_Seacrow Island_. Hmm" he hummed, a doubtful expression on his face

"So what? I read children books when I fly."

"Astrid Lindgren?" he asked then, the author still covered by her hand.

"You know this book?" she asked almost in disbelief, lowering the book on her lap again in surprise.

"My sister was glued to it every summer" he sighed, smiling

"Wait, the wannabe architect sister?"

"Nope, the oldest one. I have four of them, so I might even be wrong"

"Four?"

"Yep. Only boy. In the middle. Good times..." he grinned "What about you, any siblings?"

"Not that I know of" she smirked and he chuckled.

The conversation died down for a moment, but he picked it up right away "So, is this your favorite novel or do you like something more exciting to widen your knowledge?"

"Do you intend on talking the whole flight?" Meredith answered instead

"No. I plan on sleeping in a few" he grinned

"Oh, this is gonna be a long night..." she sighed, shaking her head and he couldn't help but chuckle. And hell, she could even give up on sleeping if he kept being all dreamy like that for the rest of the flight.

* * *

**So, they don't really exchange names often those two, uh?**

**The _Astrid Lindgren_'s book, _Seacrow Island_, is my favorite children's book I own. My own copy is battered and wrinkled, but it's only because I re-read it too often. It's a summer story, an adventure, just like this story is going to be. **

**Well, now you know more about Meredith and the dreamy stranger. This story will be often from Meredith's perspective rather than Derek's, it just wrote itself that way. **

**I'll try to update soon but since the festival will last till the 23rd of July I have no idea how much time I will spend on my laptop. I'll try to not let you wait too long!**


	3. Have Nothing In Mind But Plenty Of Space

**Chapter 3 – To Have Nothing In Mind But Plenty Of Space**

Derek opened his eyes. For a split second he had a hard time remembering exactly where he was. Then he recognized the little night-lights illuminating the seats around him and remembered that he was flying to Rome to see Amelia.

The unexpected factor in the picture was the blonde head resting on his shoulder, snoring quietly. He turned and recognized her. She didn't have a name because he'd never asked, but she was the best he had met lately and not simply because she had converted a ticket.

She was funny, young, a tad reserved, fascinating. He couldn't help but ask more questions, she kept things for herself.

He smiled at her sleeping form, just watching her. She had fallen asleep with the debated book on her lap, open at the beginning, right where he had interrupted her for the fourth time. She was curled up in the seat; it wasn't really big but as far as he had noticed, she was pretty petite.

Her hair smelled like some kind of flower, he realized as he took away the book from her hands and placed it in the net in front of her, bookmarking her page with an empty foil wrapper. It was his favorite brand of sweets, the guilty pleasure he allowed himself after a long day in surgery or when he felt like breaking his healthy habits.

She shifted a little as he sat back, snuggling back into him like it was the most perfected gesture and somehow he felt like she fit in his arms. He didn't know why or how, but she just did.

Her nose scrunched up and she woke up groggily, groaning and rubbing her eyes sleepily. At first, she had his same reaction to the surroundings, but when her eyes met his and she finally noticed how close they actually were, she freaked out.

She jolted away from him, almost as if electric current had passed between them. Slowly, she recovered, as he watched her with an always amused smile. _She looked cute when she freaked out_.

"I'm sorry" she said, her blush visible even in the dim-lighted space

"Don't worry. You gave me the ticket, I'm giving you a shoulder to sleep on" he shrugged, but he had secretly enjoyed their closeness. She fascinated him in every possible way and he didn't know what to make of it.

"It's...awkward," she muttered "I don't even know your name"

"Derek" he said immediately, holding out his hand and she shook it shyly.

"Meredith" she finally revealed. Somehow it seemed to fit her perfectly.

"Meredith" he unconsciously tried the sound of it out loud and she bit her lip, avoiding his eyes.

"Derek" she repeated herself. It sounded so perfect coming out of her lips.

"Nice to meet you" he grinned widely and she blinked, reciprocating the gesture, before yawning.

"I think I'm going back to sleep" she mumbled, leaning curled up against her seat once again and closing her eyes before Derek could even attempt a reply.

He smiled softly at her and marveled when merely ten minutes later she was snoring again, her body relaxed despite the strange position she was sitting in. Instead of sliding back the seat, she had crossed her legs over it, her socked feet intertwined while she held her knees against her chest, practically forming a ball with her body. It appeared really uncomfortable, but for her, despite the flexibility needed, it seemed like the most comfortable position to be in. He wondered if she slept like that even on a bed.

He watched her, Meredith, sleep, unable to wipe away the smile from his lips. When a flight assistant moved closer to him and asked "Do you want a blanket for your girlfriend?" he didn't object and just nodded, knowing that it was just easier that way.

The woman came back with a light, summery blanket that smelled like laundry and he draped it carefully over and around Meredith's lithe body.

When the woman left she was smiling and Derek couldn't help but overhear the conversation she started with her colleague.

"How cute are they?" she asked as she approached the restroom, pointing to them.

"They look so in love." her colleague replied, "Look at the way he's just there, looking at her. I wish somebody would look at me with those eyes"

"Really?"

"Usually most couples just ignore themselves or they eat each other up while they wait. Look at them" she stressed and Derek hid his smirk.

"Ah, she's a lucky girl" sighed the first flight assistant, flashing a smile to Derek, who had noticed their staring.

He shrugged it off, then picked up Meredith's book from the net and opened it. Truth was, he had never really read the book, despite having it around for so many years.

After the first three or four pages, he had been captured already. He couldn't stop reading.

"Are you reading my book?" a sleepy voice came from next to him after quite some time and he finally paused, almost halfway through the whole story.

"You fell asleep on me" he smirked "Damn, this is a good book"

"I told you" she smiled nonchalantly, her voice still furry as she blinked away the sleep.

"I should have listened to Kathleen when she bragged about it" he chuckled and she rubbed her eyes one last time, before smiling with him.

"Did you put this on me?" she asked confused, when she noticed the blanket covering her.

"The flight assistant asked if you needed one and I thought it would have been nice. I always get cold while I sleep"

"Thanks Derek" she said and her saying his name was something he couldn't exactly tell what it made him feel.

"You're welcome, Meredith" he replied, just to say her name once again. It was such a wonderful name.

"I'd give you that, if I had another copy, but you should just buy it when you come back"

"I think I'll borrow Kathleen's" he smiled at her "So, what are you going to visit in Rome? I haven't really planned anything and I need some ideas"

"Um, I think the classic monuments, you know? Coliseum, Foro Romano, another bunch of ancient stones put together"

"Ancient stones?" he burst out laughing, then recovered when he noticed the glare the flight assistants shot him.

"I don't have anything planned either" she confessed

"I might just trust Amy"

"The architect sister?"

"Yep. She's picking me up, so if you want you can ask her about a few things"

"Oh, that would be great. I need someone to explain me how that InterRail thingy works and where the train station is"

"InterRail?"

"It's a train ticket with which you can visit all the European states for a limited number of weeks, boarding all the trains you want. It's cool, Amtrak has it too, I did something like that before college"

"So you'll be traveling by train, in Europe"

"Basically" she smiled

"Sounds amazing"

"I hope it will. Even though it would have been better to have my friend there making sure I didn't go home to some random Italian boy after too many shots of tequila" she confessed bluntly. _She wasn't going to see the guy ever again, he had no right to judge, eh?_

"It would have. I'd kill to be twenty-two again and have the freedom to do that"

"Twenty-one" she smirked "You could, you know"

"Yeah, right. When?"

"Right now? Well, when we land. You can spend some time with your sister, then go away for the time that was your honeymoon and say screw you, cheating ex-fiancée, I have been to Europe and met girls in bars!" she kept smiling and he was seriously amused. And intrigued.

"What if I tag along?" he said bluntly, not even knowing how she could charm him so easily "I mean, not that..."

"You want to travel with me?" her eyes widened, her voice perking up a little in surprise.

"It's weird, I know, you don't know me, I just...You have a route planned, trains, places to stay and I really need to do something crazy. You can totally say go to hell" he added.

Meredith looked at him, watched his smile build up, his passion for things, his shining eyes. She knew he wasn't a perv, he was kind, handsome and a wannabe surgeon. Maybe he could give her a different perspective on the job than her mother did. And maybe, just maybe, he was the unexpected variable she needed in the equation to make things work.

"Okay"

"Okay to me going to hell?" he smiled.

"No, okay for you to tag along. As long as I can meet your sister and she has a place to crash, because I do have things planned, but nothing booked. Oh and you'd better buy a backpack"

She grinned and the two of them felt a burden ease from their shoulders.

It was crazy, but maybe, it was exactly what they needed.

* * *

**So, I lied. This was Derek's POV all the way :D **

**They're still on the plane, I know. They'll land soon, don't worry...**

**The song I used for this title was _Teach Me Again by Elisa ft. Tina Turner_. It's really a beautiful song. I hope you'll check them out along the way, sometimes they meant a lot to me as I wrote the chapters.**

**I really hope you're still enjoying this story, maybe a little bit more. Thanks for stopping by!**


	4. Everything's Magic

******So, I wanted to update on Thursday but it was a no-go. Friday I got busy and the Olympic fever somehow clouded everything. I'm not good at keeping promises :D The update is here though.**

******Song for this chapter is the same title, by Angels & Airwaves. I think I used it already in another story, but I hope you won't mind.**

******Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Everything's Magic**

* * *

The airport of Roma Fiumicino was pure chaos. Not the ordinary, people-filled chaos New York was, it was chaos with the Greek meaning. Narrow and crowded. The perfect welcome to Italy.

"Permesso!" a man with a business briefcase shouted as he walked quickly past everybody, almost knocking down an elderly woman and a couple of bags.

"Oh, I love this place" Meredith grinned, even though she already had a headache from the constant swarm of people.

"You're one of those people, then" Derek grinned, watching her take in the noisy crowd, grinning like a fool.

"What people?"

"'It's cool 'cause it's Italy.' Those people"

"Oh, no I just...It's like I'm living in a dream" she smiled, softly, kindly, like he had never seen her do before and she hardly remembered such smile as well.

"Derek!" they heard a voice yell and a petite, dark-haired, blue-eyed woman in her twenties reached them, a skip in her step and a wide smile on her face.

"Amybear!" he grinned, and she launched herself in his arms, engulfing him in a bear hug.

"Don't call me Amybear, idiot" she smiled, kissing his cheek "How are you holding up?" she said, a little more seriously and Meredith watched the interaction, fascinated.

"Just getting by, you know" he smiled, but it was a little forced "How's Italy treating you?"

"A-ma-zing, Derek, just amazing" she smiled "I have so many things to show you!"

"I gather that you have on-going projects"

"Gosh, I got so many ideas! I can't believe how easy it is to find inspiration here!"

"You have time for your older brother, right?" he smirked

"Of course" she mocked him

"Good, 'cause I have a friend to introduce you" he turned towards Meredith, who suddenly felt scrutinized. "This is Meredith"

"Rebound girl?" Amelia cocked her head amused and Meredith blushed, extending her hand.

"I met her on the plane. God, don't you know me at all?" Derek immediately defended Meredith, a little irritated.

"I never thought you could propose to the candy-eating plant either, so..."

"Amy -" he sighed

"I don't wanna hear it"

He gave up and watched as Amelia stared at him and Meredith, standing side by side, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"I thought she could join us on the tour of Rome. She's traveling alone and I'm gonna tag along for a little while, until we'll get on each other's nerves"

"Pretty soon, Meredith, pretty soon" Amelia grinned; the bitterness towards her brother was quickly forgotten.

"We'll see. I know he's chatty so maybe we won't last a couple of days" Meredith grinned back and Derek was taken aback by how easy it had been for Amelia to accept Meredith. She had never been this open with any other female friend he brought home, not even Addison, Mark's girlfriend, who had been around for years.

"So, Derek, does she have someplace to get to?"

"Actually, I need to find an hostel or something to crash" Meredith spoke before he could answer

"I have a pull out couch, if you want"

"Really?" Meredith's eyes widened. It was weird for her to have such kind people around.

"Yeah, no biggie. It's a couch and my house is small. I'd put you in Derek's bed, but he hogs the covers" Amy smirked

"I do not!"

"Do too"

"Do not!" he retorted, then noticed an amused Meredith staring at the two of them, trying her hardest not to laugh.

"Derek, I was stuck with you when we went to the Hamptons and we had to share the bed. It wasn't pretty"

"Oh, shut it. You slept sprawled on me"

"I was cold, you were warm, and you had the covers!"

"Kids" Meredith smiled, feeling like a kindergarten teacher. She wondered how she got stuck with those people in the first place. _God, she missed having someone to be this silly with_.

"Ugh" Derek recovered first, his cheeks tinted with a pinkish hue, behind the slightly unkempt stubble "Sorry about that"

"Still sure you want him to tag along?" Amelia grinned mischievously

"Oh, it will be fun. I'm gonna break him" Meredith challenged

"We're on!"

They reached a battered red car that Amelia had parked in the third line and she ushered them in quickly.

"Cops" she pointed in front of them, backing away from the parking spot and speeding to the highway surrounding Rome, the GRA.

"So, you really parked like that?"

"Oh, you have to park like that in Rome. It's either that or you never stop the car" she shrugged. "Shit!" she cursed then, when they saw a wall of cars blocking their way "I forgot rush hour. Even if there's not a rush hour and it's always like this, but whatever" she groaned, leaning back on the seat and waiting for the line of cars to crawl to the next exit.

They managed to get home an hour later, after a couple of other deviations and quick routes changes, followed by a fifteen minutes walk. Derek carried his suitcase as he sweat buckets, while Meredith looked fascinated around herself, carrying her backpack.

Amelia's home meant an historical palace in the city center, far from the main sights, but close enough to be still part of the older, most famous part of Rome. It was the perfect position to visit the whole city and Meredith felt jittery.

"So, the scholarship is paying off" Derek commented, staring up at the big building they were about to enter.

"Totally" Amelia grinned, swinging open the huge oak door and leading them into a dim-lighted hallway. The temperature dropped, from the scorching hot to an almost freezing interior.

"Whoa, how high is the air conditioning here?" Derek let out casually

"No AC, Derek. Just historical building" Meredith commented and he looked at her with wide eyes "Don't tell me your sister, your architect sister, never mentioned this"

"She didn't"

"Oh, shut it, you were too busy making out with that nurse to notice" Amelia shrugged "Thank you for the support, Meredith. I believe we'll get along just fine" she smirked then and Derek knew that when two women conspired against him, he was doomed to failure.

He sighed reluctantly, then carried his suitcase up to the third floor, panting and thanking every saint he knew of for the fact that at least the place was freezing cold and he didn't have to do this under the sun. He definitely needed a backpack as Meredith had suggested.

Amelia welcomed them in a small but spacious apartment, the furniture traditional and well lit. It was strangely neat and not the usual mess Amy's room had been before she left for college.

"I had a roommate from Berlin, but she left for the summer, she didn't have classes and she decided to go back." Amelia almost read Derek's mind and he grinned "You were coming here so I decided to come home for Christmas, since my classes will be over and I have to come back anyways" Amelia explained "I'm glad you're here, Derek" she said softly, her tone foreign to Derek, but he welcomed it "Make yourselves at home" she gestured to the rooms then, smiling.

Meredith left her backpack on the floor next to the couch with a thud, then stretched her limbs, smiling gratefully.

"I'm gonna take the pull out couch" Derek stated, picking up her backpack.

"Derek, seriously, she's your sister, not mine" Meredith groaned

"Independent, are we?" he ignored her mild protest

"Derek, I'm twenty-one, I can take a few nights on a pull out couch"

"Are you implying that I'm old?" he faked to be hurt

"Maybe?" Amelia piped up, watching them bicker amused and wondering for a second how amusing they would be together, as a couple.

"I'm not old"

"In this house, right now, you are" Meredith flashed a smile.

That's what Derek was worried about as soon as he noticed how well Meredith and Amelia got along, and right then, he was knee-deep in a women versus Derek allegiance that was going to destroy him.

"Okay, fine, we can switch every other night" he gave in "But you start on the bed" he stood his ground.

"Fine" Meredith puffed, but she was smiling widely as she watched him carry her backpack in the room.

"Sorry about my brother, he's all chivalry and romantic crap most of the time. I thought Rose had changed that, but I'm glad he's still the same"

"If he's trying to seduce me, he got it wrong" Meredith commented, even though a small part of her enjoyed being treated like nobody had ever treated her.

"He's not. He's like that with me or my sisters too sometimes, if he's in a good mood" Amelia smirked, watching his brother come back, seeing the Derek she always remembered hiding there, somewhere. She wished Meredith could bring her brother back more than anything, put him back together after Rose left him in pieces.

Derek cocked his head, rolling up the sleeves of his summery, blue shirt, then smiled "What do we see first, then?"

* * *

**I really hope you enjoyed this, because they're finally in Rome. This story won't go as slow as before, we'll spend about a couple of chapters into each city, sometimes more -or at least those are the plans. I hope it won't be disappointing for you. **

**If you want to send suggestions either about the trip or the storyline, send them without problems, I'll surely take them in consideration and maybe I'll try to fit them in somewhere, if it's possible.**

**Thank you to all the anonymous reviews I got in the last few chapters, they were a lot and it saddens me that I can't reply to them, especially if questions are asked. I'm really glad you're enjoying this story though and I hope you'll keep reading for a long while :D**

**Thanks for stopping by!**


	5. I Need Freedom Now

**So, I managed to get away from the excitement over the Olympics and update something. I'm a bad person, I know, but they are just so damn exciting. And they come every four years! You understand that, right? I should be studying too but even that gets burned by the Olympic torch...**

**Anyways, title from this is from _The Cave - Mumford & Sons_. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 5 – I Need Freedom Now**

* * *

Sightseeing had been the last worry in Meredith's travel plan, but the first thing they did after freshening up a little was just that.

She changed into even more comfortable clothes, trying to bear the heat Rome was welcoming them with, but she was still grateful for the gentle breeze. Derek reappeared dressed in way more casual clothes and for the first time, she had to smile at how young he looked without a shirt and dress pants.

"So," he began, but his further thoughts were interrupted by Amelia, waltzing in the room with a bright smile.

"Do you guys want to take a walk?"

The two of them exchanged an amused look that Amy didn't miss and they smirked.

"Walk as..."

"You need to walk to see places, Derbear" Amelia shrugged

"Oh, he's just old, let's go" Meredith teased him, making her way outside the apartment, followed by Amelia; immediately Derek felt he had yet again to defend his pride. He knew he was going to have so much fun with those two for the rest of the day.

They began the tour with a subway ride to St. Peter, the catholic cathedral that was heaven for every Architecture major. The square Bernini built was amazing, sort of like an embrace. Both Meredith and Derek were stunned at the sight.

"It's freaking huge!" she exclaimed and Amelia giggled

"I love it. The church is even more amazing inside, wanna go in?"

"Yeah" both Derek and Meredith said in one, breathless voice.

"I'll go stand in the line for the tickets, join me whenever you feel like joining me" she said, smirking at them.

When Derek looked at Meredith, she was taking in the whole scenery, amazed, with a beaming smile on her lips. In her hands she was clutching a big camera, one of the professional ones he was scared to even touch, but she held it so confidently and easily, despite not taking any photos with it.

"It's so great I have no idea where to start" she justified her stillness with a sheepish smile

"I had no idea it would be so amazing to stand here either"

"Right?" she grinned, turning to him as he looked around.

There was something in his eyes that had fascinated her, a twinkle, a gleam that made her lift up the camera and snap a photo of him, St. Peter in the background, his eyes filled with wonder, his hair blowing with the gentle breeze, the sun shining right in front of him.

"Hey!" he retorted, his laugh morphing into a grimace "I knew that camera was dangerous!"

"It's not dangerous. I am though" she laughed at his surprised face, then she followed the direction Amelia took and joined her in the line.

"Is my brother flirting with you?" the dark-haired woman said with a smile when he lagged behind.

"He's annoyed that I take photos" Meredith grinned devilishly.

"Oh, leave him alone. It's because Mom has the most embarrassing photos of him ever. I'd be worried too if I were him" she smiled, noticing Derek joining them.

"It's hot here" he stated, sighing in relief when he noticed that the line was under the shade of the columns

"It's summer. In Italy." Meredith stated the obvious, amused

"Yeah, but it's hot. You know, New York and Naples are at the same latitude"

"Right," Amelia grinned skeptic "Remember that Milan is even hotter. There's no breeze there"

"So Milan is somewhere around Boston, if we keep considering the latitude?" Meredith ignored Amelia's comment, looking at him, amused. He reciprocated the glance "Humor me, Derek" she smirked.

"I guess it could be, yeah"

"Thank you"

"What was that for?" he frowned

"Just to make you feel smart, since you have an MD and all that"

Derek just stared at the gleam in Meredith's eyes as she made fun of him, feeling free and happy like he had never felt before. It might have something to do with the fact that he was on holiday, but probably he just was.

"Ice-cream is on you today" he teased back

"What?" she asked, the grin replaced by a frown

"You tease, you buy ice-cream"

"You just made that up. Besides, I have student loans"

He shook his head "No ice-cream for you, then"

"Oh, just kiss already" Amelia groaned, moving forward as the line progressed.

Meredith blushed, turning her gaze away from Derek and he felt a strange shiver run down his spine.

_What if they indeed kissed?_

It was a mess if they kissed, he knew it, so he turned away as well, moving behind Amelia, who was smirking.

Meredith pretended to be fascinated by the square and busied herself with the camera, snapping pictures and trying new angles, just to not let her mind wander on the possibility of kissing Derek Shepherd. Because he was really hot and sometimes she really wanted to kiss him. She didn't do summer flings though or kissing for that matter. She was the queen of one night stands and she had to remain this way. She liked having him around to keep her company, she wasn't going to burn her chance by sleeping with him and just leaving.

Before her mind could stop reeling, Amelia had placed a ticket in her hands and they were going inside.

The interior of the church was richly decorated, too richly probably, but it was still magnificent. She could get lost in all the paintings and sculptures there. Swarms of people speaking a dozen different languages brushed past her, admiring the artistic beauty and like her, getting lost in all of it. She felt suddenly small, compared to the whole church.

"Let's go on top of the dome!" Derek said excited, noticing a group of people not bigger than ants, walking over a golden inscription in Latin.

"Derek, there are five-hundred-and-thirty-seven steps to get there. Five hundred!" Amelia complained, shaking her head at the proposal "We don't have the time, they're about to close!"

"We'll try" he used his puppy dog eyes, but she still shook her head. "Meredith?" he tried turning to her.

She was already set on going, but wanted to make him sweat it a little "There are a lot of steps"

"I'm going" he said resolutely and then she just followed him when he walked away, grinning "You had me fooled for a moment" he grinned back.

"You might need to carry me on top, though"

"I hope not" he grinned, but she knew, deep down, that he really would if she asked.

They quietly waited in another line, chatting about the various artistic masterpieces in the cathedral, then they walked slowly and silently up to the top of the dome.

When it was their turn to walk above the golden letters, they finally realized how high they really were and how smaller Amelia looked, waving at them from down below. It was surreal.

As they began the real climb, they stopped once in a while to admire the changing scenery in front of them through small round windows and when they finally reached the square that led to the top, they were blown away.

It was windier than at the bottom, the air less clogged and Meredith smiled, even before looking at the scenery around them. The air was terse; even if it was late afternoon, the sun was beginning to set and they could start to see the orange and yellows of the sunset pool at the horizon.

"Wow" Meredith whispered without even noticing it.

"It's amazing" Derek echoed, his eyes fixated on the endless stretch of buildings and trees, the hills barely visible through a slight fog due to the warmth.

As they looked down, they could see a perfectly maintained garden with all kinds of flowers and other buildings the Vatican owned, the small station and other trivial palaces and buildings in the neighborhood.

The whole Eternal City was at their feet.

"Look!" Meredith almost squealed, stretching to point at a line of black, luxury cars exiting the Vatican, a small grin on her face "Looks like a migration!" she commented.

"I guess their shift is over" Derek punched in, standing right next to Meredith as they alternated their glances between the dark cars swarming away, the setting sun and the scenery around them, too amazed to even speak or say anything. Their hips bumped as Meredith stretched to snap a photo and he just grabbed her by the waist, holding her closer as people around them stared at the scenery just as amazed and took photographs.

A boy, maybe three or four, started running around the dome away from the railing as he laughed madly, his little legs going in circles as he called out for his mother, the joy in his eyes palpable.

"I wish I could still see things like a kid" Meredith mumbled but since they were so close, he heard her perfectly.

"We'll make sure we will" he promised and he knew that he shouldn't take this lightly, because she already stole a small portion of his heart.

* * *

**This was rather on the short side, but so is my attention span at the moment. I apologize. I also got sidetracked by a new Olympic-themed story so yeah, short attention span. I mean, just look at the USA swimming team and you'll understand why ;)**

**So, hopefully there will be less sports from now on, since a lot of medals have been given already and there are no more swimming competitions. I'll try to manage a longer update and if everything goes well, surely not in a full week span.**

**Most of you are on holiday by now so I hope you're having a good time or you had it. Thank you for stopping by and to all who left a review, it really means a lot for me. I hope you enjoyed this update too, if not, well, let's hope the next one will be better!**


	6. We All Deserve The Finer Things

**Hey there readers, welcome back!**

**I stole the song for this title from the soundtrack of Suits, Greenback Boogie - Ima Robot. It's even the title track, you'll recognize it immediately if you watch the show. If you feel up to it, the video of this song on YouTube is amazingly weird.**

**Enjoy this new chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 6 – We All Deserve The Finer Things**

* * *

By the time they got back in St. Peter's Square it was already dusk. The chatters were more scattered and the heat was slowly fading, just like the sun.

"I'm hungry" Meredith stated out of the blue, an innocent smirk on her face and the three of them burst into laughter.

"I know a place where there's an amazing pizza and they fry practically anything. Never heard of _supplì_, guys?"

"You never mentioned it, Ames"

"It's rice and ragù with mozzarella, shaped like a ball and fried. Believe me, it's amazing. You'll thank me!" she smirked as she led them out.

They reached a cozy restaurant in a more secluded area of the city center, filled with families and noisy groups of people chatting away the evening, wine and beer flowing freely at the tables. Their nostrils filled immediately with the greasy smell of fried oil and the floury sniffs of pizza.

"I'm hungrier" Meredith's face split in a grin as they waited for their table, her eyes twinkling in anticipation.

"So you aren't one of those girls who count calories?" Derek asked, trying to pry some more information out of her

"God no, I like my food to be food. Actual food, not power bars or healthy crap like that. I indulge in salads sometimes, but everybody makes nutritional mistakes"

"Oh, we're gonna get along even better" Amelia intervened before Derek could reply, grinning widely.

A waitress led them to a table on a terrace, between a family of five and a couple of lovebirds. The three of them collapsed on the chairs, sighing in relief that they could finally sit.

"If it wasn't for the smorgasbord of food I'd just curl up and sleep" Meredith smiled, pouring herself a glass of the cool tap water already on the table.

"Me too" Amelia added, accepting the water Meredith poured for her and Derek "I'm getting old, sitting at a desk studying arches and building structures" she joked.

"I feel your pain. My ass barely moved from my desk chair all semester"

"So that's why I'm not the slightest tired uh?" Derek smirked "And I was going to be the old one" both Amelia and Meredith's hands hit him at that, the first on the back of his neck, the latter on his forearm and the women smirked at the common thought "Okay, I'm shutting up" he hid his smirk behind the menu, going through the dozen kinds of pizza and other tasty dishes he never heard anything about.

"Anything to suggest?" Meredith asked to Amelia as she grabbed her own menu

"Go with your gut. Pick a pizza, I'll take care of the fried delicacies" she sighed "Pizza as in one pizza, not slices, mind that"

"What?"

"It's one entire pizza?!" Derek said surprised

"You pick a vegetarian, health nut. Meredith just be creative" Amelia ignored their retorts as she went through the menu herself.

When the waitress approached them she rattled a few choices for their entree and the pizzas they had chosen all in perfect Italian and Derek was surprised.

"You learned your thing, then"

"I had to survive somehow, right?" Amelia shrugged, then turned to Meredith and the two of them began discussing the menu and translating things as Meredith absorbed the foreign language with enthusiasm. It was indeed, for a moment, like watching the child on top of the St. Peter's dome, taking in everything. She was just as excited and he felt blessed to have met her in such a crazy circumstance.

Their quick Italian class was interrupted by the waitress who brought them clean plates and a tray full of fried goods, from the classic French fries to what looked like the _supplì_ Amelia had mentioned them before.

"Enjoy guys" Amelia grinned, digging in the food and the two of them did the same.

Meredith immediately moaned at the greasy taste and the sure calories she was ingesting and Derek for once forgot how could he like salad in the first place.

"I'm not going back to Boston" Meredith stated between one morsel and the other, her mouth full.

"You still have to taste the pizza" Amelia grinned, stuffing her face with fried olives.

"Is all Italian food this amazing?"

"Pretty much, yeah" Amelia smirked "Okay, no, some things are horrible,but Derek might like them since they are full of green stuff. You know, you're such a woman when it comes to food"

"You're missing out" Meredith mumbled, digging into the fried zucchini and zucchini flowers "Do they even sell this stuff back home?"

"Farmers' markets probably"

"I need to learn how to cook"

"How did you survive college without cooking?" Derek wondered out loud

"Noodles, pizza, take out. I know all the best places in Boston if you ever need anything delivered" she smiled, her fingers picking up one of the typical arancini from Sicily and enjoying every last bit of it.

They were almost full when their steaming pizzas arrived but miraculously, Meredith had still space in her stomach to fit all the food and so did the others.

The chatter started flowing, just like the beer and the red wine they ordered with their food, their laughter echoing on the terrace as the evening breeze blew around them cooling off the city.

After the relatively cheap bill, compared to all they had eaten, they went back to Amelia's place to rest and prepare for the following day.

"Derek" Amelia slowed down a bit as she grabbed her brother's arm, letting Meredith walk a little ahead of them.

"I really enjoyed myself today, Amy" he smiled genuinely

"This trip is good for you" she stated "She's good for you. She's great"

"Ames..."

"As a friend. I don't think you need more right now, but she could be more if you keep in touch"

"She's...carefree, Amy. She's everything I haven't allowed myself to be in a while"

"So enjoy the fact that she's here. Go with her around Europe then when I'll be back in New York you'll tell me all about her, okay?"

"I can't believe I won't have her around forever"

"Derek, think about the present. Enjoy the moment. There are phones for a reason and letters, planes you know..."

"I just need a friend right now"

"I think she needs one too" Amelia replied simply, smiling at her brother then moving ahead to join arms with Meredith.

The two of them skipped happily in the relatively empty street, their muffled laughter echoing in the night and Derek knew that following Meredith was exactly what he needed to break away from his life.

* * *

**So, you gathered from this that I like food. Like, really like food. And I enjoy tasting the typical dishes of the places I visit. It helps me understand the culture better, see the influences of other populations, explore the lifestlye...Food means as much as a cool monument, sometimes. It helps gather people and make them talk. That's exactly what happened in this short chapter and now Derek has the official blessing to go on the trip with Meredith.**

**They'll leave Rome soon, don't worry, even if I enjoyed the city a lot when I visited it. If you go to Rome, try the supplì and well, fried things. Pizza is good almost everywhere, though. I'll give more food-related suggestions as I go, especially of the places I visited. **

**I'm leaving for my own holiday tomorrow. I'll be gone for a week, more or less, so I won't update until the next Tuesday. I decided to make this a weekly thing since I have exams coming up in September. I'll try not to drag this story for long, but I can't really manage more than this updates at the moment. Hopefully with holidays it will come relaxation and more time to write ;)**

**I hope you enjoyed this quick, foodie update, it was a bit of a filler but at least I'm not leaving you on a cliffhanger. Thank you to the few people who reviewed and the ones who added this to their alerts, I appreciate your silent presence just as much. I know many of you are on holiday at the moment and I hope that the quieter feedback is due to that. Anyways, thank you for being there, there won't be a story without readers!**

**If you are on holidays, enjoy them, if not, enjoy the time off as soon as you have it! ****See you on Tuesday!**


	7. Just The Freedom And The Will To Choose

**So, I'm back from the mountains, a little tired and sunburned but all in one piece and with a new chapter for you. ****I hope you had a good week while I hiked and enjoyed the milder temperatures.**

**This chapter is titled from the Justin Vernon's song _Nothing Better Than A Journey to You_. He's better known as the lead singer of Bon Iver, for those who are wondering. I should make a playlist out of this...**

**Anyways, here's the chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Just The Freedom And The Will To Choose**

* * *

They had a well practiced morning routine at this point. Derek was always the first up. He sat in the kitchen with the window wide open and he simply stared outside at the quiet streets and the people getting busy in the early hours of the morning, enjoying the cooler air.

She was up a little after him usually while Amelia the last one to stumble out of her bunk, with her hair sticking out in all directions and her sleepy eyes begging for more rest.

Meredith wasn't exactly a morning person, but she liked both staying up at night and being awake early in the morning. She found the sunset a wonder she couldn't miss and the dawn somehow comforted her every time she stayed up long enough to witness it.

More than once, back in Boston, she stayed up partying until it was light out and the city was starting to wake up. The sky slowly lit up but she closed her eyes instead, shutting out the world more than how she usually did.

"Hey" she greeted the usual figure at the window as she padded barefoot in the kitchen. She pulled out the juice and the milk from the fridge, then a box of muesli and biscuits joined the mugs on the table.

Derek was a health nut, that had been long confirmed, but she pretended not to notice. She ate enough for the both of them.

"Good morning" he smiled back at her, his mug of coffee steaming in his hands "I made coffee" he said simply and she gladly filled her own mug.

"Are we going to wait for Amelia to have breakfast?"

"We don't have to" he grinned, sitting at the table and she mimicked him, scooting the chair closer to the table.

As expected, he poured the milk and the muesli as she filled her mug with juice and grabbed a handful of biscuits from the box.

"Do you want eggs? Pancakes? I can see what I can whip up" he said simply

"You cook?" her eyes widened slightly, despite having just woken up.

"Among other qualities, yeah" he smiled dreamily and she shook her head amused "I lived in a house full of women, what did you expect?"

"Can you sew too?" she mocked, hiding her smirk in the glass of juice

"Funny, Mer" it was his turn to be amused "Really, really funny"

"I'm fine with juice and biscuits though, thank you. We should eat a _grattachecca_ today" she smiled smugly

"A what?"

"A snow cone in a glass. Granita" she explained with a smirk

"Wow, you took notes on the culinary aspects of Italy, huh?"

"Your sister told me it's the local name for the thing. You should listen to her, she has great inside notes"

"She's right" a still half-asleep Amelia joined them as they tried not to laugh. She shuffled slowly towards the table, yawning widely and rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Morning sleepyhead" Derek smiled, ruffling his sister's hair and making even a bigger mess than the one her pillow did.

She made a move to sit next to him, then scoffed "I'm going to sit next to Meredith"

She slowly got up and moved to the other side of the table, much to Meredith's amusement. Those two were worth the trip and all the money she was going to spend.

"I told him we should eat a _grattachecca_ today" Meredith restarted the conversation

"We definitely should, especially since you two are leaving tomorrow" Amelia said sadly, grabbing a handful of biscuits from the box and pouring herself some milk.

"We can still do something together" Derek said, trying to make his sister feel better

"Yeah" the women in front of him sighed in unison, the same sadness laced through the silent answer.

"You're going to leave from Venice station, right?" Amelia asked, breaking the thick silence.

"There's no direct train for Vienna from Rome" Meredith explained

"Vienna uh?"

"I was thinking of stopping by in Graz. They say there's a beautiful clock tower and since we're around..." she smiled "Vienna is in the plan for the Sachertorte" she grinned and Derek shook his head. He still had no idea where she put all those calories and managed to remain that skinny.

"Can I come with you to Venice? I've been in Italy for ages but I haven't seen Venice yet" Amelia almost pleaded "We'll go by car" she smirked

"Briber" Derek muttered and Meredith grinned widely

"That's awesome, it saves us a day of travel!" Meredith beamed "We've been here three days and my pass is still brand new. Amazing!" she mumbled.

"And we get to spend a couple more days together" Amelia smirked.

Derek watched his sister glance meaningfully towards Meredith and he was sure there was a real friendship there already. He wished for a second that they'd be all able to keep in touch, once reality would come and bite all of them in the ass.

"We're leaving tomorrow at eight. In the morning." Derek stated, eliciting groans from the two women as he smirked.

"Eight? Are you kidding me!" Amelia retorted

"We know you're a freaking doctor. We're not!" Meredith moaned

"Eight sharp. We'll need almost the whole day to get to Venice. I wanted to leave at five."

"Your brother is nuts" Meredith whispered to Amelia

"You can still ditch him. Run for the hills Mer!"

The girls shared a look and began laughing, while Derek frowned, having missed the whispered exchange.

"What can we see today?" he decided to break the allegiance before it could become dangerous. Well, more dangerous than how it looked like already.

"Huh, I don't know? Shopping?" Amelia suggested and Meredith lit up right away. "Shopping it is"

"We have to be back at a decent hour because I still need to pack" Derek added immediately.

"Spoilsport" Meredith grinned, then went in her room to change out of her pajamas.

As soon as they were all decent, they walked out in the middle of the humid, sticky-hot city, mingling with the rest of the tourists as they tried to remain anonymous. They walked and laughed, the women entered in more shops than Derek could count and at some point, he was sure they were simply hopping from one shop to the other just to make him go crazy.

He ended up holding their bags, Meredith's in his right arm, Amelia's in his left. They held at least one more bag each.

"I haven't shopped like that in ages" Amelia sighed exhausted as they took the _metro_ back home.

"I never did that. It was fun" Meredith smiled widely

"Right" Derek snorted

"You're such a man" Amelia scrunched up her nose and the women laughed at his expense.

Derek sighed, then smiled again, seeing how happy Meredith and his sister looked. If he could keep them happy, they could even pick on him for the rest of the day, it was worth every smile from them.

It was a nice change to see Meredith smile; she had looked sad and lost on the plane at first. He was sure there was something rough bothering her and making her take the decision to simply pack her bags and leave for a while, to run away from everything. He had had the same desire too.

Then Amelia's smile had been fake or dim for a long time. She hung out with the wrong kids for a while, she drank too much, she almost got addicted to drugs. Their mother had been overjoyed for the scholarship, probably more because it was in a different continent from the bad group she was hanging out with more than anything else; to some extent, he was glad too.

He felt happier too, sharing the same giddiness they were experiencing, and he knew that including Meredith Grey in his plans -or was it the other way round?- would surely change his life.

Good or bad he was going to let time decide for him, but he was going to enjoy every single second of this trip.

He was going to heal in her company.

* * *

**I forgot to say this at the beginning: for the sake of fiction, even American citizens can buy InterRail passes and they are available at any train station. Rules remain the same, overall. Also, there's a night train from Rome to Vienna and back, for those who are interested. It's a cheap ride too. I think it costs even less than Rome-Milan with the Frecciarossa high-speed trains. I omitted that because I want them to have a little car ride, for the sake of my story.**

**So, I hope that you liked the small culinary hint once again and you're not disappointed that Amelia won't leave them right away. They even put the grattachecca in the entry test for the faculty of Medicine in 'La Sapienza' University last year so it's god information to know ;)**

**I made a YouTube playlist for the Adjectives Series' songs I used and I was wondering if you were interested in having a playlist even for this story. It could be fun, right? [For those who want the link to the Adjectives' playlist just ask and I'll send it to you]**

**Next update will come for those who wait. Starting Monday, I'll be away until September 2nd for another week of holiday, this time to the sea, with friends. I hope you'll understand, since I won't bring my laptop at all there. Some good ol' tech-free week will maybe put the wheels into action, who knows...**

**Have a great end of August!**


	8. Train In Vain

**I'm back! A little later than when I planned to, but here I am with a new update!**

**This chapter is titled after _Train In Vain by The Clash_, just a little tribute to Derek's tastes. Even the underlined, italics lyrics in the chapter are taken from it.**

**I'm sorry for not updating earlier, but here it is, enjoy! I'll ramble more at the end.**

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**Chapter 8 – Train In Vain**

* * *

They were driving on the highway out of Rome at a relaxed pace in Amelia's car, the morning sunlight filtering in the cab gently.

The landscape was moving quickly past the windows, changing scenery as they drove by towns and fields. They were enjoying just a glimpse of what Italy had to offer them. They were grateful for every bit of what the _A1_ was showing off, especially because there wasn't much traffic.

Derek was driving in a relative silence, just a tune filling the cab. He tapped the steering wheel while The Clash mix he had put in the CD holder before leaving started playing and the Tuscan hills rolled quickly past them. He could see Amelia conked out in the backseat with a book in her lap and he lowered the volume.

Once in a while he turned to look at Meredith and he couldn't help but grin widely. She had taken off her sandals and her bare feet were resting on the seat, legs curled up to her chest and encircled by her arms, looking outside, just like the way she had curled up on the plane.

She had a certain something he couldn't pinpoint exactly; something that had fascinated him from the first moment their eyes had locked.

Out of the blue, Meredith bumped his shoulder quite forcefully, startling him from his thoughts and his driving.

"Ouch" he complained, turning towards her with a questioning look

"Big baby" she grinned

"What was that about?" he asked, still confused.

"Yellow car. Wasn't that when you pass a yellow car you have to hit a friend next to you?"

"I didn't see a yellow car"

"Over there, Derek!" she pointed indignant at an undefined point ahead of them

"I still think you pulled this out of your ass just to hit your favorite driver" he teased her and her eyes widened in mock surprise.

"You're no fun" she turned away, faking a pout, and he couldn't help but find her adorable.

There was something about the way things were easy between them. They hit off immediately and things just kept getting better. Surely, she was more fun than any girl he had met before, but she was still mysterious and full of surprises; he couldn't help but want to uncover all of them.

_Say you stand by your man_

_Tell me something I don't understand_

"_Train In Vain_? Seriously?" she finally turned back to him after a few moments of silence, a grin back on her lips.

"Big fan here" he smirked

"Yeah, and you wore black and drove a motorbike" she scoffed

"This little scar on my forehead is why I don't have one anymore" he smiled brightly, fingers going to his forehead, and her eyes widened.

"Who are you and what have you done with the old Derek?" Meredith asked amused

"I'm the same Derek. I like fly-fishing, coffee ice cream and double scotch single malt whiskey. Crossword puzzles on Sundays, even if I cheat. Hmm, what else?" he mumbled

"Favorite color?"

"Blue. Not light blue, indigo"

"Favorite book?"

"The Sun Also Rises"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," he echoed, a smile on his face. "I don't have time to read anymore, though."

"The stack of books on my nightstand is alarmingly high as well." she giggled and he chuckled as well, his hands tapping on the steering wheel as the song kept playing in the background.

_I see all my dreams come tumbling down_

_I won't be happy, without you 'round._

"Derek, do we have to listen to the Clash all the way to Venice?"

"I can drop you off at the next station, if you complain" he joked and she smiled cheekily.

"I kind of have to pee, actually." she mumbled.

She was so adorable he wished he could just kiss her. Then he spent the next five kilometers pondering why in hell was he thinking such a thing.

Derek stopped at the following gas station to fill the tank and let Meredith have her bathroom break. Stretching his legs after driving for hours felt sort of divine for him as well, not just for Amelia who kept complaining about a crick in her neck.

Meanwhile, Meredith headed off to find the bathroom.

She looked around and followed a bunch of directions until she finally found the restroom and opened the door, only to slam into somebody else.

"Sorry!" she said immediately and the other girl turned around with a scowl, despite being surprised. She was Asian, it was hard to tell from which country though.

"You speak English?" the Asian said bluntly

"Yeah?" Meredith stared at the stranger and her backpack, confused and amused

"Oh, thank God. I've heard nothing but Italian for a week and I'm going crazy!"

"It was bound to happen, I think. We're in Italy" Meredith frowned amused, still unsure what to think of this girl.

"I know that, I just like to hear some American English after weeks of exile"

"You're American too?" Meredith said pleasantly surprised.

"Los Angeles, born and raised. I'm here out of a scholarship with Stanford, doing some research about shrinking tumors"

"Oh man, you're working with Corsari?" Meredith said excited, the fact that she had been thinking about the same scholarship once could be too coincidental to be true.

"No way you know him!" the eyes of the woman widened

"I love his researches, he's a great surgeon!"

"Oh my God we totally need to be friends! I'm Cristina Yang"

"Meredith Grey"

They both smiled and began chatting about surgery, until they were back in the parking lot and they could see the car. Amelia was sitting in the back with the door open, legs dangling outside as she crunched chips. Derek was leaning against the hood in a very cocky pose, a smile stretched on his face.

"Is McDreamy there your boyfriend?"

"McDreamy?" Meredith snorted amused at the same nickname she had thought of on the plane and then giggled "It's a long story but no, he's not. He's just a good driver"

"Hitching rides too?"

"No, just luck I guess. Where are you going?"

"Venice. I'm waiting for someone to go there"

"We are" Meredith said simply, leading her to the car. "I take in strays. My mother wanted to kill me once for this habit."

When they reached Meredith's travel buddies, Amelia lit up seeing another person with Meredith while Derek frowned.

"Guys, this is Cristina Yang. She needs a ride to Venice" Meredith introduced her new friend to them.

"Amelia. Mer's friends are my friends. That one all scared and unsure is my brother Derek. Clearly being a surgeon is getting to his head"

"I'm sorry if I'm not enthusiastic about meeting strangers" he scoffed, extending his hand politely.

"You were enthusiastic when you met Mer" Amelia grinned and Meredith blushed.

"Oh shush. She just needs a ride, no big deal..." Meredith cut off banter that could become dangerous.

"Okay" he agreed "I'm always outnumbered anyways" he muttered, almost pouting.

"Right, four sisters" Meredith smirked, getting in the car in the back as Amelia snatched the front seat privileges from her.

The engine rumbled to life again, but this time the radio remained off, the car filled by the conversation with the new occupant.

"So, Cristina, you're studying in Stanford. Any further plans?" Derek asked immediately after a little small talk about themselves.

"You mean Med School? Yeah, I got a few scholarship around the country, I'm not sure I'll stay at Stanford"

"East Coast?" Meredith wondered

"Probably. Harvard, maybe Columbia"

"I went to Columbia" Derek piped up like an excited little kid

"Then no, he's too broody. I wanna be awesome" Cristina grinned

"I am awesome!" he retorted, causing a series of snorts and muffled laughs from the other two occupants in the car.

"You look miserable" Cristina stated honestly.

He opened his mouth to bite back with something snarly and harsh, but nothing came out; she was more than right.

"I think I'll be going back to Dartmouth" Meredith said, cuttin the tension then.

"Uh, Ivy League, nice" Cristina grinned, like nothing happened "We might find each other there too"

"It's in your list?"

"Not on top but yeah"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously"

Finally Derek was able to smile again at the bantering and Meredith felt like smiling too.

She and Cristina just hit off. They were the same, more or less, even if Cristina looked a lot more driven and focused than Meredith had ever been. A small part of her was still the same rebellious teenager with black clothes and pink hair she had been a few years prior. Cristina grew up in Beverly Hills and somehow, managed to become the least snobby and sophisticated woman Meredith had ever met. She was messy -her backpack was proof of it- her whole being was messy, honestly. She was scruffy and rough at the edges but Meredith recognized the mask Cristina was putting up. She had a similar one covering her weakness. It was more about pleasing the others than her own need to hide, though.

After a couple more hours of travel and chatter, a toll gate appeared. They frowned, Amelia in particular.

"What the hell?" she hissed "What road did you take, Derek?"

"You said stay on the right, I followed your directions!" he reproached

"McDreamy got us lost, didn't he?" Cristina whispered in Meredith's ear and the two of them tried to muffle their laughter.

"There's nothing funny about being lost in..." he stopped, reading the first signal, "Bologna"

His voice was barely a growl, but the women couldn't help but keep grinning "I hate you Amy, really!"

"You just have to get out of here then turn around." She shrugged

He paid the fee but they soon found themselves on the ring road around the city, surely not on the highway they planned to retake. Derek growled loudly, slamming his hands on the steering wheel. Ignoring Meredith and Cristina's amusement, he took the first possible exit, leading to a drive through a huge parking lot.

The car, almost sensing his distress, jerked to a stop too. Right in the middle of the whole empty lot, but not enough on the side to be parked. Horns blared right behind them and Amelia shouted just as loudly "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" he defended himself, lifting his hands from the steering wheel "I swear!"

His eyes went wide and a puff of white smoke emerged from the hood of the car. He leaned with his head on the back of the seat.

"Crap" Meredith said simply as they all stared at the smoke.

Derek tried the engine one more time, but it didn't respond as he turned the key in the ignition.

"We have to move" he said simply

"Like push the car?" Amelia's eyes widened

"Yes and then try to find somebody who can repair a freaking car"

Derek was upset and snappy, something Meredith had no idea he could be. He was collected and looked cool, but he was angry. Probably at himself, but he was fuming just as badly as their car.

"Alright" Meredith was the first one to agree, carefully climbing down from the car as he put it in neutral.

They all followed her example and they quickly managed to push the car in one of the parking spaces, realizing how lucky they were for not being still on the highway. It would have been way worse if their car stopped when other vehicles darted at more than a hundred kilometers per hour. That would have been the epitome of bad.

"We'll walk towards the city and try to find a mechanic then. Or a gas station. Or someone else who will repair this junk" he scoffed and Amelia glared at him.

They looked around, seeing modern towers around them and older ones in the distance, a light whitish fog covering the distant hills.

"Let's split" Amelia suggested " It will be quicker than going all together. I'll canvass that road with Derek, you go the other way" she pointed at the large boulevard crossing their path.

"As soon as we find something we'll call each other" Cristina agreed, sighing.

They all nodded at the proposal and then split.

At first, Meredith and Cristina were quiet; the two of them busy looking around to find the right place.

"You know, Derek was almost disappointed when Amelia paired us together" Cristina snickered then as they strolled past a block of apartments.

"He's just angry" Meredith shrugged

"He seemed genuinely disappointed" Cristina's eyebrows rose suggestively

"We're friends" Meredith said, immediately getting defensive.

"Sexy friends?"

"Cristina!"

"There was eye sex in the car, from the rear view mirror" Cristina smirked

"I might be horny but that was _not_ eye sex" Meredith muttered, frustration seeping in her tone.

"But you'd do him"

"No!" Meredith squealed, then corrected her outburst when she noticed Cristina's raised eyebrows "I admit he's attractive, okay?"

"Definitely not my type"

"He's hot. There, I said it" Meredith whined

"You'd do him, then"

"Drunk, maybe. But I won't get drunk" she said resolutely, more to herself than to Cristina.

"Uh uh" Cristina grinned

"Stop it! I can resist him"

"Why? It could be a summer fling and then whatever, you both go back from wherever you came from"

Meredith admitted she had thought about it. About making a hot, sexy trip with him, where they barely slept for all the sightseeing and the sex. He didn't look the type that would have sex in a dark alley behind dumpsters in a whim of lust, but maybe he had it in him.

Something still stopped Meredith though.

"He's nice to talk to"

"You like him then"

"He's a good friend, more than a screw buddy. If I have sex with him I'll fuck up everything else. I need a friend now."

"You're not one of those girls who want relationships, right?" Cristina looked at her almost disgusted.

"No!" Meredith yelped, just as horrified "I just need a friend. He has perspective"

"I can be your friend"

"It would be cool to go to med school together" Meredith mused

"We'll keep in touch. Maybe we'll end up in the same place"

"Yeah" Meredith sighed, glad that the topic had shifted.

"He totally wants you, though"

"Cristina!" Meredith's eyes widened at the sudden reverse the conversation had taken but a small part of her felt butterflies at the mere thought. _Damn_.

"Call him"

"And what? Tell him 'do you want to hook up?' Seriously?"

"No, tell him we found a mechanic" Cristina smirked "You so want him"

She glared as she dialed Derek's number, her eyes not leaving Cristina's.

The two siblings reached them no more than ten minutes later, their expressions lighter. They waited for Amelia to get inside because she was the only one who could speak a little Italian.

They were greeted by a middle-aged, slightly bald, greasy man in a blue, dirty overalls, his smile wide. He was cleaning his black hands with a oil-stained cloth. He grinned and his jovial demeanor relaxed the group, even if they were simply looking at Amelia and the man trying to communicate.

The mechanic moved to the phone at the end of a brief conversation and Amelia turned towards them.

"So, we need to stay the night because he's almost closing and he doesn't have the piece to repair our engine. At least he thinks so. He called in for the car to be brought here and he also gave me directions for a hotel at a walking distance. He said that the car will be ready tomorrow after lunch, not earlier"

"Stay the night" Derek echoed.

"I'm sorry. I really am" Amelia sighed. "You can try to catch a train from the station here if you want and I'll drive back alone"

Meredith lifted up her index finger as soon as she noticed the dangerous twinkle in Derek's eyes "We're not leaving your sister here Derek, do not even think about it"

"But -"

"No buts. She's your sister. Your little sister" she emphasized

"I was kidding"

"No, you weren't"

"Mer, I swear..."

"Don't swear. We're staying. End of discussion" she said resolutely, their eyes meeting.

"You're very bossy" his face lit up with a wide grin as Meredith stewed

"She's right. Even I am staying" Cristina shrugged her shoulders "Your bickering always cracks me up"

"They look like an old married couple" Amelia snickered, knowing that it would set them off.

"We're not together!" Meredith and Derek said in one breath, both blushing when they realized it.

"Let's just find the hotel and eat, okay?" Meredith recovered quickly.

They began walking again and suddenly, Derek was hovering behind her. There was just a few inches of space, not so close that they were sharing body heat, but close enough that she could feel his breath on her neck. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Meredith kept up a light conversation with Cristina, trying to ignore Derek. Then she saw it, the disappointed look, as soon as they reached the hotel and the man at the reception told them they'd have to book two separate rooms. It built quickly, almost hidden, but surely, this time, she'd noticed.

"Wait" the young dark-haired man smiled then, scrolling with his mouse through a list on his computer "There's a last minute cancellation for a double room. Is a queen and two twins okay?"

"We'll manage one night" Amelia grinned "The queen-sized is mine!" she claimed, making both Meredith and Cristina groan.

Derek grinned triumphantly "It's nice to have a sister sometimes"

"See, I told you" Amelia grinned back.

They crawled up to their room with their luggage, tumbling on the clean sheets as soon as they picked their own bed. Much to Meredith's dismay, her bed was facing Derek's side of the queen. Overall though, the hotel was nice, clean and not even noisy, so she decided that she could survive a night facing Derek's bed.

That night, when they went to bed, the last thing they both saw before falling asleep were each other's eyes.

* * *

**So, formatting here was a little crappy, but it looked a lot better on OpenOffice. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this.**

**I have an exam coming up in two days so I decided to take a little hiatus from this story, at least until mid September. There will be an update before the 20th and aother one at the end of the month, but this is it for September. In October I start classes again so hopefully I'll have a better schedule. In any case I need a little time to focus on exams, real life and future plans.**

**I didn't see much excitement over this story lately, I blame it on the holidays, but I still need a little more time to bank a few more chapters, to fix up a few things and find the spark I had when this whole journey began. Must be my longing for sightseeing and foreign places that is blocking my fingers from typing. Also, digging up memories of places I've been usually makes me want to go back there right away, just like researching for places and sights always makes me want to pack a bag and leave all behind.**

**Anyways, thank you for your patience and for sticking by, at least I leave you in a nice, comfy place, not like I did in other stories ;)**


	9. Lady On The Water

**No I'm not dead! As many of you know I published another story, "Hope Is The Thing With Feathers" and I got a little too wrapped up in that. I also had a minor lack of ideas -well, or ways to put them together decently- so this story fell a little behind on everything. Today is a very sunny, summer-like day here and I think it finally deserves an update. **

**"Lady On The Water" is a song by Blitzen Trapper. Check it out, it's a little magical if you listen to it in the right moment.**

**Enjoy this long-awaited chapter and again, sorry for the long wait!**

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**Chapter 9 – Lady On The Water**

* * *

When Meredith opened her eyes to a new day she knew it was going to be good.

She brushed the sleep out of her eyes, only to come face to face with Derek's perfectly toned, boxer-clad ass as he shimmied in his shorts. They hung low on his hips and it took too long for his casual t-shirt to hang over them, giving Meredith time to stare at his chiseled back. She would have been able to have a small cramming session for an Anatomy exam if she could have stared a little longer.

She bit her lip, chastising herself for the inappropriate thoughts about her travel mate, and decided to ignore the sudden heat across her cheeks and somewhere a lot lower as soon as he turned around. She pretended to still be asleep and opened her eyes only when she felt him shuffle quietly back to the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel.

"Hey" he greeted her in a whisper but with a wide smile, when he noticed her eyes looking back "I'm almost done in the bathroom. I need a minute for my hair"

"A minute uh?" she grinned, sitting up and smoothing down her t-shirt.

His eyes scanned her body almost hungrily and she blushed again under the scrutiny.

"Do you, um...Should I wait for you to go downstairs for breakfast?" he stumbled a little on his words.

"It would be nice, thanks" she replied, casting her eyes low to avoid his deep blue gaze. It was too easy to get lost there, first thing in the morning.

He shuffled into the bathroom and she took a deep, cleansing breath. She could do this. He could be her man candy friend without being more.

She opened her backpack and pulled out some clean clothes, toiletries and a towel, and fidgeted with them until he was out, his hair perfectly styled, despite still being damp. _How she wished to run a hand through it..._

"I'll be quick" she reassured him, disappearing into the bathroom. She took a quick, lukewarm shower, trying -and succeeding- to calm her porny thoughts somewhat.

When she walked out -damp hair piled up in a loose bun and wearing fresh, lavender-scented clothes- he smiled brightly, setting down a little pamphlet found on the nightstand with a gentle shuffling of papers.

"Shall we?" he grinned, standing up and bowing a little towards the door.

She giggled quietly, put away her stuff and then followed him, Amelia and Cristina still sleeping soundly.

He led Meredith to the elevator with a hand on her lower back, like it was something they did every day and didn't make her tingle inside.

"My sister can sleep through a hurricane" he commented with a chuckle, pushing the ground floor button "I mean, two showers and various noises and she still snores"

"I do that too, I just wake up earlier" she said with a shrug.

"Yes, you do snore like her. Actually even more" he smirked

"I do not!" she yelped

"Do too"

"Derek, do you want to look like a three-year-old? My future plans are not going to be teaching kindergarteners" she joked

He simply grinned, leading her to the breakfast table and pulling out the chair for her. She blushed, but her eyes twinkled when she noticed the wide selection of breakfast food in the hall.

"Looks like you enjoy big breakfasts" he commented, amused

"You're the one who mocked me and Amy every morning saying that it is the most important meal of the day"

"I'm a doctor. I know things"

"Pff" she scoffed, standing up and leaving him with a stupid grin on his face as she went to fill her plate at the buffet table. They barely spoke after that since she was so busy eating, but Derek simply stared at her undisturbed as she devoured bread and eggs.

"You're judging me" she mumbled in between chomps

"I'm not" he grinned

"You're about to say I'll be fat" she pouted, but kept eating anyway "I shouldn't have given up my ticket" she mumbled to herself

"I'm glad you did" he smirked.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked, suddenly curious

"The woman at the desk said I was lucky the passenger next to me had given up the seat just a few minutes before departure or I would have had to wait a full day before leaving"

"Oh" Meredith smiled

"I'm glad it was you and not a fat old man, though" he smirked

"Idiot" she smiled widely behind her sandwich and he couldn't help but grin back.

He kept smiling like he had found a hidden prize all the way through the lobby, as soon as she had finished eating enough for a small troop. They walked out into the light, warm breeze of the relatively hot morning, basking in the novelty of the day.

"Is it wrong if we leave Amelia and Cristina here and we visit Bologna?" she asked mischievously.

"Maybe" he grinned, watching as she pulled out a map from her small backpack "I don't really care though"

She giggled. And he loved when she did that. It always made his lips curl into a smile of his own. He hadn't smiled this easily and freely in so long he had almost forgot what it felt like.

"So, let's hop on the bus, go to Piazza Maggiore and then take a walk. We have lots to see and it looks like the perfect day for photos" she grinned widely, staring up at the clear blue sky for a moment.

"You lead, I'll follow"

She literally led him through the crowd as soon as they were immersed in the bustling square, full of young people running around with books or waiting in front of a palace for the opening of one of the biggest libraries in the city.

"The University of Bologna is the most ancient university in Europe. Built in 1088" Meredith read from the small guide the hotel provided them "Whoa, that's a whole lot of years for a university" her eyes widened

"Now I understand why half of the people look like students. Reminds me of a huge college campus"

"Except that eighty-year-olds live here too" Meredith grinned, pointing at an old woman carrying a light grocery bag as she shuffled with her cane.

Her gaze became mesmerized when she spotted two brick towers in front of them, leaning slightly towards each other and peeking out from the crowds of people, passing cars, buses and scooters on the paved road. They stood out from the mess of things that concealed them, until you looked right up and saw the Garisenda Tower and her companion the Asinelli Tower in the middle of this whole ordeal.

"Whoa. Wasn't the only leaning tower in Pisa?" Derek asked, equally mesmerized by the Two Towers

"They are amazing. I mean, they're in the middle of a freaking intersection!" Meredith grinned.

"We have to go to Pisa at some point" he mumbled

"Agreed" Meredith whispered, snapping the first of a dozen photos.

Later in the morning they walked, laughed, stared at people and commented on weird outfits or strange habits, talked, and made fun of each other as they walked through the Medieval looking city, taking in the red walls, the palaces and the modern shops under them.

At lunchtime they ate the famous tortellini with _ragù_ -which the had learned was not Bolognese sauce at all- and _mortadella_, before coming back to their hotel with their stomach full and wide smiles on their faces.

They were greeted by a still half asleep pair of girls packing what little things they had brought with them, commenting on the hotel lunch which served as breakfast for them.

"Hey sleepyheads" Meredith grinned widely as she swung her backpack on the chair and sprawled on the queen-sized bed.

"What the hell did you two do?" Amelia groaned "You look happy"

"I just ate like a pig and saw the city, I have no idea about her" Derek grinned, jumping on the bed "Scoot over" he jabbed Meredith in the side and she giggled

"I was right there with you, idiot. And if it wasn't for me you wouldn't even have tried the tortellini"

"Right. Tortellini" Cristina groaned "You two are disgusting"

"Kind of, yeah" Amelia agreed, wincing "Don't you ever sleep, Mer?"  
"Not when I'm on holiday. I hate waking up during the year though"

"Morning pod person" Cristina mumbled

"He's the morning person, not me" Meredith retorted, pointing her thumb towards Derek.

Derek's eyes widened at the accusation "Hey, I've been getting up at four thirty for months, gimme a break!"

"Don't gloat too much, Dr. Shepherd" Meredith elbowed him back and he grinned "And I don't like the right side of the bed so you have to get up so I can lie in the middle of it and make bed angels"

"The left side was mine last night" he argued "My stuff is on the nightstand!"

"We'd better leave or they'll mount each other" Cristina turned to Amelia, who grinned and shot them a dirty look.

"Stop flirting, we have a fixed car to retrieve and Venice to get to"

The two tired city explorers glared at them. Derek sat up slowly, groaning profusely as a chorus of three "Old"s made him chuckle.

At the shop, the mechanic informed them that the problem was even bigger than what he had thought and he could give them a replacement car for their trip to Venice. Amelia would have to come back the next day to get it.

"The oldest gets to drive" Derek smirked delighted, rubbing in the fact.

"Well, who else? I can't drive with stick shifts" Amelia shrugged

"I can" Meredith piped up "But I'm not going to drive when Mr. Michael Schumacher here is so eager to"

"You can drive stick?" his eyes twinkled

"Now I'm gonna throw up" Cristina snorted and Meredith ignored the glee in Derek's voice.

She liked it when he was all flirting and sweet jokes, she felt like she mattered to someone and after being regretted for the past twenty-one years, it was a pretty good feeling.

She enjoyed seeing him jump in the car excitedly as soon as the mechanic put the keys in his palm. Amelia had giggled when the man in overalls joked about the fact that he was going to have a car full of beautiful women, but Derek merely glanced backwards, locking eyes with Meredith and opening the doors for the three of them like a real gentleman. Meredith knew he was a romantic at heart, which made her curious most of the time and made her wonder what he could come up with next. Not that she wanted to be courted, but she enjoyed this side of her new friend. He cared and that, for her, was a huge step ahead of all the men she met in her life.

From there, they drove without incident to Venice and left the car in Mestre. They took a ferry towards the city, enjoying the view of the Laguna and the little boats passing by.

Derek stared at the three women standing by the railing as the ferry sailed, wisps of their hair blowing in the wind as they laughed together, relishing the sound of Meredith's soft giggle. He smiled, but he didn't join them, knowing that he'd just be in the way. He was glad his sister was happy too and somehow she had found a little more balance living independently, away from his mother's house.

"Wow" he heard them mutter all together when the view of Venice appeared, San Marco glittering gold. And he was indeed taken aback too.

The sparkles of the water gave the city an ethereal feeling and he knew as soon as he had stepped foot there that he had to come back again, knowing that he wouldn't see everything the city had to offer.

They disembarked and walked, walked, walked through narrow waterfronts after even smaller _calle_, admiring the buildings, enjoying the passing gondolas, relishing the salty smell coming from the brownish water of the canals and the distant sea.

They took a small tour with another boat, which brought them around the most famous canals and made them see some of the well-known monuments, leaving out the Bridge of Whispers though. It was a place for lovers and something inside him wanted to hire a gondola and carry Meredith there, only to kiss her under the bridge and be with her forever.

When the tour guide on the boat mentioned the bridge, he watched as a slow blush spread across Meredith's cheeks but he decided to ignore every possible feeling. He wasn't ready to be with another girl after Rose, he didn't trust anybody anymore and surely he didn't want to drag Meredith in a summer fling instead of enjoying her company and just being happy. They didn't need that.

"We could walk on the Bridge of Sighs" Amelia proposed and they all nodded, glad that they could stand on solid ground after a long time on a rocking boat.

They had to make their way through a group of elderly North-European tourists, probably Germans, who looked around and listened to their guide as they crawled towards the site. It was a nice view, from the middle of the bridge, the gondolas and boats passing under them, lovers kissing and more tourists enjoying the sight.

"Hilfe! Aiuto! Help!" they heard the cry from the other side of the bridge, noticing a middle-aged woman knelt down on one of the steps to reach the bridge, her hand clutching the banister and with the other holding tight to a man in his sixties, probably her husband, kneeling right beside her.

Derek rushed over right away, responding to the call as quickly as he would have answered a page.

"I'm a doctor" he introduced himself with a rush and he waited for the man to explain, in a broken English, his wife's symptoms.

Derek slowly helped the woman sit, gladly accepting the wet cloth another tourist offered him and asked a local to call an ambulance.

"What's your name?" he asked slowly, trying to calm down the woman so that he could diagnose her

"Helga"

"I'm Derek. You understand me, right?"

"Yes. So and so"

"Good. That's good" he smiled encouragingly "You fainted, ma'am" he explained "It must have been the heat"

"Very hot today" she nodded. Her husband sat right next to her, holding her hand.

"I'm waiting for the ambulance with you, I think it's best if you get a complete check up, alright?"

"Okay" the couple nodded almost in synch and he just then noticed Meredith and Cristina staring at him with their mouths agape, Amelia instead had a smirk on her lips.

"Rubbing it in their faces that they're not doctors, big brother?" Amelia giggled and he smiled widely

"This is amazing" Meredith kept staring at him in wonder and he smiled gently at her, noticing how her whole body lit up. She had to be a doctor and he knew it before she did.

"It might be something heart-related" Cristina piped up, her wonder replaced by clinical science, though she was still smiling.

"That's why I'll be happier when she gets to a hospital" Derek stated as he started a more thorough examination.

Cristina looked at him with a narrow gaze, trying to see the fault in all his movements "Well, you know your stuff McDreamy. Any specialty to declare yet?"

"General, maybe Neuro. Not Cardio, though"

"That's a shame. I'm all for the blood and gore" she grinned.

A whirl of sirens and paramedics arrived, interrupting their conversation while they lowered Helga on a stretcher.

"Thank you, Derek" the woman smiled kindly, even if she still looked a little pale

"You're welcome" he kindly bid her and her husband goodbye, watching the ambulance disappear as he walked away with a little pride in his chest. He loved being doctor and he had missed the rush up until now. This hadn't changed and lately, having something _not_ change was a welcomed relief.

"How did you know?" Meredith interrupted his thoughts as Amelia and Cristina began walking again the two of them trailing a little behind

"I studied a lot" he smirked

"No, I mean...how did you know you wanted to be a surgeon?"

"I wanted to change people's lives. I knew I wanted to be a doctor and help them. Surgery was the perfect answer for me. I'll be able to save people who could die otherwise, give them back their lives, not just cure a simple ache. That's everything I ever wanted to do"

"Is it a high for you?"

"It is. But it's mostly a joy. They are not just patient, they're people. And knowing they'll go back to their families and loved ones is what keeps me going"

He watched as carefully listened to every word, internalizing every sentence. He could almost see her thinking.

He watched as she looked around, pensive, trying to decide and he wondered if in that split second he might have changed her life.

In a way, he wished he could return the favor, because he knew that after this trip his life was never going to be the same.

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**Thank you for waiting patiently for this update, I can't believe it took me so long. I'll try to be better in the future!**


	10. ,Like Catching Some Train

**I wanted to update yesterday. And the day before that. And...Okay, it was a long day and tomorrow I have to take the TOEFL. Be kind and understanding.**

**Song for this chapter is 3AM by Gregory Alan Isakov. Definitely one you should listen to. **

**It's Grey's Thursday for those of you who live in the States! Enjoy the night and please, no spoilers! :D**

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**Chapter 10 – Riding That Hope Was Like Catching Some Train**

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The best day they had spent so far was in. If the first day of actual traveling with Meredith had been this amazing, Derek wondered what whole weeks could turn out to be like.

They had walked and seen a lot of places so far, sitting down only for dinner, but despite his exhaustion, his life felt full to the brim. It had been a long time since he had taken a vacation in the real sense of the word and he now noticed how much he had missed the feeling of it.

He was as excited as like a kid in a candy store for this upcoming weeks.

Their train was due to leave later that night, bringing them to Brück an der Mur before six in the morning. Then they had to switch trains and would reach Graz by eight. Meredith was fascinated by the clock tower in the city and since they had just renovated it, she felt like it was worth a little detour from Vienna. Her plans had never disappointed up to this moment.

"I can't believe you're leaving already" Amelia sighed, resting her drink on the nicked, wooden table of the bar they were sitting at after dinner, breathing in the salty air of Venice, their conversation blending into the buzz of the night. It was a nice summer night, chilly enough to bring a long sleeved top but not cold enough to actually wear it.

"I had a really good time with you" Meredith agreed, mimicking Amelia.

"We should exchange numbers, e-mails, to keep in touch. Add me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter" Amelia blurted eagerly "Skype, maybe?"

"Maybe" Meredith grinned at her enthusiasm "You too, Cristina"

"Me?" Cristina joined in the conversation after lowering her empty shot of tequila on the table, surprise etched on her face.

"Yeah. We might get into the same school too" Meredith stated, a hint of hope in her tone.

"True. But we won't have to do the thing, right?" Cristina frowned

"What thing?" Meredith's eyebrows knitted together.

"You know, the thing where one of us squeals and there's hugging..."

Meredith snorted. "No, definitely not" she said, sipping the last drops of liquor from her drink.

"Good"

"I can do the squealing and the hugging" Amelia butt in, before bursting into laughter. The other two followed suit.

"I'll never understand girls" Derek muttered to himself

"Really? You lived most of your life surrounded by them" Meredith snickered and they laughed even harder at his expenses.

"Aren't you going to miss this, Derbear?" Amelia grinned, locking eyes with him, and Derek noticed a well-hidden sadness there.

"I surely will. Well, until Meredith reminds me of all I went through..." his eyes darted towards Meredith and she smirked mischievously, the gleam in her eyes proof that he wasn't going to escape the teasing anytime soon.

"So, _Derbear_," she started, his nickname stressed just to make Derek groan "You bought a backpack, and you discarded most of your button downs and slacks. I believe you're ready" Meredith grinned at him, keeping up with the teasing.

"I am more than ready" he smirked back at her, gulping a mouthful of his scotch and letting it burn down his throat. The world was warmer with the right amount of alcohol.

"Good, because I have a lot planned" Meredith smiled softly then took out a little notebook from her tote bag, along with a pen. She tore a page from it, divided in two and wrote down her e-mail and cellphone number, passing it around. Cristina and Amelia did the same with their own contacts.

"It's time already, uh?" Amelia sighed, passing the paper to Meredith and then to Cristina.

"Yep" Meredith bit her lip.

A small part of her was disappointed that they had to leave. She could have comfortably gotten into a routine with Amelia and Cristina if they all didn't have other plans. She wished she'd had such roommates in college; at least they wouldn't have spent entire afternoons painting their nails and debating which dress was quicker to take off.

Meredith never looked at boys; they were attracted by her lack of inhibitions, her freedom, and her fake mask of happiness. They'd all wanted her at some point. Some of them had even had her, but she had never been the girl her roommates had been. Her pink hair had scared people away before the third drink.

"If you go to college on the East Coast we have to see each other as soon as I get back!" Amelia grinned, but her eyes were glassy and Meredith felt the same sadness seep into her being.

She smiled. "We definitely should"

"Keep my brother all in one piece, okay? My mother is worried enough as it is and she has no idea he'll be traveling with you from now on"

"And it should remain that way" Derek warned "I'll tell her at some point, just not right away. It's bad enough that she was already thinking about Shepherd grandchildren and now I've gone missing. If she knows I'm traveling with a girl she'll think I'm on the rebound already"

Amelia sighed, scratching her forehead "I can't promise you I won't cave. You know how persistent Mom is"

"Do your best, Amy" Derek pleaded

"You know I will" Amelia smiled, then stood up to hug both her brother and Meredith.

"I won't hug you" Cristina snorted at the scene, drowning another tequila and making the other three smile widely.

Both girls were going to be missed.

After the last goodbyes and more promises to keep in touch for real, Meredith and Derek left for the train station with their backpacks and their smiles. They walked side by side, hand in hand at some point as so not to lose one other, until they were seated in the train car, settling their stuff.

Derek did all the lifting and the game of Tetris to put away their backpacks like a real gentleman. Meredith was grateful for the welcome change from all the other men she knew. He was atypical in her story and she was curious to get to know him more.

They were both really tired at the end of the day and as soon as their tickets and IDs had been checked, their backpacks secured and their shoes discarded, they let themselves fall into a much welcomed sleep.

It didn't last long though; as soon as they neared the border with Austria and stopped at the last Italian station, they both woke up and exchanged groggy smiles.

"Sorry about taking seats and not a couchette" Meredith mumbled, rubbing the sleep off her eyes and adjusting the makeshift pillow she arranged with her hoodie.

"'s fine" Derek mumbled "I'll go with it" he yawned widely, before falling back to sleep.

They woke up at almost every station, but Derek was always the first to fall back to sleep. Meredith had time to observe him sleeping then, how his features relaxed, how his hair messed itself up as he turned his head once in a while.

He was indeed very cute.

When five thirty rolled around and Meredith woke up for the fifth time, she gave up on sleeping and took a walk to the bathroom. After, she gathered her things again and kept staring out the window as the world woke up. The sun was already peeking shyly through the clouds but the small towns they passed by were empty. A few cars showed up here and there like little ants as the train ran fast on its tracks.

Derek grunted from the couchette, groaned and then woke up as well.

His morning routine turned out to be similar to Meredith's; after it was finished, he came to stand next to her in a rumpled t-shirt and cotton sweats, smiling sleepily as he ran a hand through his messy hair, not caring to style it just yet.

"Is this how you look after a night shift?" she asked, smiling sleepily

"More or less" he smirked, but it soon turned into a yawn.

"Your patients will fall out of love with you" she teased and he feigned hurt, leaning against the railing and looking outside in a similar fashion.

"I take good care of them. They will survive my bad hair"

"Probably" Meredith bumped his shoulder, then they let the thrum of the train lull them into the day. It wasn't an annoying sound after all those hours, it kept them company as they stared outside and properly woke up.

Things could be said later.

The breakfast cart rolled by them and they each bought a cup of coffee, before they felt the train slow down and retrieved their luggage, getting ready to disembark.

The Austrian morning was chilly, a cool breeze swept through the compartment when the door opened and they were enveloped in it as soon as they stepped down.

"We have to run now" Meredith sighed, checking the timetable on a digital board to see which track their train for Graz was on.

So they ran, smiling.

At some point Meredith even giggled, sensing the freedom of it all.

They both were free.

They finally slumped in two seats in coach, panting and grinning like fools, having left their backpacks on the holders and secured them nicely. Once again Derek had done the honors.

"It's the least I could do" Derek smiled, noticing how Meredith kept staring at him and his chivalrous actions "You're offering me the trip of a lifetime, after all"

"I like chivalry, sometimes" she smiled sitting in front of him and putting her legs up on his seat in the space he made for her, socked toes to touching his thigh.

The ride to Graz was uneventful, but pleasant. They chatted a little about nonsense as they watched the scenery roll past them, content to just be in each other's company.

The weather took a turn for the worst the closer they got to the city and by the time they were at the station, dark gray clouds were already thick in the sky.

"Looks like we need to look for our umbrellas" Derek sighed

"Umbrella? No need for that" Meredith smiled, pulling out a folding raincoat "Then again, I wasn't born in Manhattan"

"You can be very mean, you know that right?" he joked, his eyes sparkling

"People say that to me quite often" she smiled back, keeping up the teasing.

Over the speaker, they heard a voice announce that the next stop was Graz, interrupting their conversation. They gathered their stuff and headed for the exit.

They quickly climbed down the train and onto the platform their legs a little shaky and unsure on solid ground after all the traveling.

"Our hostel is not far" Meredith smiled, leading Derek to a traditional looking building where they left their stuff and checked in.

They had two separate rooms, since Meredith was sharing her room with only girls and Derek was only with boys. At least they were going to sleep on a bed that night.

By the time they met, after settling their stuff, it was drizzling lightly outside.

"What about having a real breakfast?" Derek suggested, checking his watch and noticing that it was almost ten in the morning.

"Yeah. My head is buzzing, maybe food will dull that"

"Is food the answer to all your problems?" Derek took this opening to get back at her for the teasing.

She smiled widely. "You got me" she said, faking a serious expression, before bursting into laughter.

They walked towards the city center and sat down in a bakery. They ordered a pretzel to share and a cup of coffee each, sitting cozily side by side.

"So, your mother is going to hunt you down when she finds out you're here. Why?" Meredith asked "I mean, apart from the obvious reason that you should be on your honeymoon"

"I'm her only son, she just thinks I need more protecting. If I were the one who won the scholarship she would have personally accompanied me to Rome and then flew back" he chuckled "Okay, maybe not, but surely she would have stayed at the airport until my flight was in the air, even without seeing me"

"Mama Bear, uh?"

"A little, but I don't mind it"

"She packed you food and used to wash your stuff when you were in college. Admit it"

"All the time, when I came home for the holidays. It was crazy. If I went there for a weekend she still managed to wash everything." he smiled.

"Must be nice" Meredith mused

"Yeah, not always but, -" he interrupted himself, lost in his little world of memories "What about your mother?"

"Total opposite of yours. Her life is her work. I barely saw her when I came home from college. She was always busy with a patient or on a consult or operating..."

"Your mother is a surgeon?"

"Yep" Meredith sighed, dreading what came next

"Wow!" Derek exclaimed, before he could contain himself.

"Yeah sometimes"

"Is she the reason why you are not sure about Med school?" he asked quietly, regretting his big mouth when she revolved back into her self.

"Maybe" she admitted reluctantly. This was the first time she'd ever admitted it out loud.

"Why? Favoritism?"

"I want...more out of life, you know?" she began tentatively "Like a bunch of friends, someone to come home to. Well, someone to come home to who doesn't hate me" she sighed

"You think you won't be able to have time for a family if you become a surgeon?"

"I know I wont" she sighed

"My oldest sister, Kathleen, she's a cardiothoracic surgeon. She's going to give birth to her fourth child at the end of the month" he smiled and Meredith's eyes widened "She got pregnant right after high school, married her sweetheart and had twins, a boy and a girl. She got through college and had her second son during her first year of med school. She finished her residency and now she's a fellow and having a baby"

"Wow" Meredith sighed

"Her husband owns a mechanic's shop, so he has flexible hours, but she still completed all the requirements. Maybe it took her a semester more to finish, but she did finish. I know many surgeons who have children, Meredith"

She took a moment to really take in the information, then mumbled "I won't be able to balance. And a kid will turn out screwed up with me as a mother"

"Maybe you have been a bit...wild" he chuckled, making her crack a smile "But I'm sure when the time comes, you'll figure it all out. You'll be a great mother someday, Mere"

She swallowed, suddenly uncomfortable, then managed a small smile "'Mere' is a new one"

"I...It just came out that way. Do you like Mer more?" he hesitated

"It's...strange. You're the first one who has called me Mere since, well, forever" she sighed "I've been Meri, Mer, Death, -"

"Death?" he grinned

"Long story" she smirked back "Sadie, the friend who ditched me, she was Die"

"Your friendship must have been all rainbows and sunshine" he chuckled and she swatted him with the menu on their table.

"Shut up, Derbear"

They laughed together, easing the tension, but Derek's words weren't forgotten and somehow Meredith was sure they would be remembered for a long time.

Being with him made Meredith think that applying to all those medical schools hadn't been a waste. She knew she could do it, academically speaking; personally speaking was another story entirely.

Derek made her believe in lots of things, but mainly in herself.

She smiled, drinking her last sip of coffee then waited for Derek to do the same. They then stood up and started to wander through the city.

It wasn't raining yet, but the dark clouds in the sky warned them that it was about to start. The clouds accompanied the two tourist as they visited the main square with City Hall and the _Landhaus_ where the regional parliament resided. They visited then the largest armory in the world, pretending to be old cavaliers and damsels and getting immersed in the Middle Age and Renaissance.

They fooled around during their aimless roaming, walking alongside the Mur -the river passing through Graz- and hopping on the artificial_ Murinsel_, before getting a good look at the bean-shaped building where the Modern Art museum was, the _Kunsthaus_.

Last, but not least -and not until they had some food in their stomach-, they saw the _Uhrturm_ and the _Schloßberg_. _Schloßberg_ was the hill in the middle of the old city, on top of which there was the clock tower, an UNESCO World Heritage site, and the main reason why Meredith had been so fascinated by Graz during her planning in the first place.

"So, we should climb those stairs and then we'll be on top, right?" Derek asked, as they stared up at the _Uhrturm_ clock tower from the bottom of the hill, his head cocked to the side doubtfully.

"I guess" Meredith frowned, grabbing the small map they had found at the tourist information office in the main square.

"Too bad it's a cloudy day"

"In all the photos I saw the gold was sparkling" Meredith sighed, shrugging, before she began the climb.

The staircase was steep, postponing their conversation.

"We're going to die on this staircase" Meredith muttered

"We're not"

"They're going to need to drag our bodies down and ship us back to the States" she groaned and Derek chuckled, shaking his head as she grunted and muttered obscenities with each step.

They arrived at the top panting and feeling a little out of shape, but the view was worth the trek.

The entire city lay at their feet, while up above them, thick gray clouds muffled the air and sounds. They couldn't see very far due to the fog, but it was indeed spectacular.

"Wow, this is great! I didn't even know this city existed and look at this!" Derek exclaimed, a big smile plastered on his face as he caught his breath a little.

"Tell me about it! Google found this for me" she grinned back, "We didn't die either!" she giggled, and then frowned. A deep, slightly pissed off frown.

"What?" Derek inquired, puzzled.

"There was a freaking railway to get up here" she glared, pointing her finger to a group of happy tourists like them strolling out of a cabin with their toddlers in tow.

"Seriously?" Derek groaned and Meredith did the same, before they burst into laughter.

"God. It was better this way though, right?"

"It was nice to hear you complaining about it the whole way up, yeah" Derek grinned

"Shut up. You complained too!"

They both smiled as they roamed the top of the hill, snapping photos of each other with the tower behind them or with the city at their feet.

A light breeze messed up their hair as they walked close to one another and smiled, proud of their first real stop on their trip.

They kept laughing and smiling as they watched the city and the people around them, the dark clouds unable to dampen their moods while they were together.

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**Okay, my Beta _MusicWritesMyLife_ did a wonderful job for this chapter. It was kind of a mess and I feel like I should thank her for all the hard work, not only on this but also in the rest of the story. You should thank her too, my stories sound ten times better than how they did before her trims and edits.**

**I went to Graz during a weekly exchange in high school. I have good memories of the city, I strongly believe it deserves a visit, which is mainly why I included it in here. The Wikipedia page on the city is quite good, if you need more information.**

**Anyways, I might post another one shot, post S7, themed with the same song I used for this chapter. It will be strictly connected to it so if you enjoyed the song, let me know if you want the one-shot too. I need to stick to 29 Years and Hope but as an interlude...**

**Thank you for stopping by! Your support is greatly appreciated! **


	11. It's Raining Again

**I'M SORRY!**

**Okay, now that I feel a little better that I said that, I will say it again. Because I am, sorry. I can't believe I let all this time slide without an update and I feel so bad about it. I got all wrapped up in Hope and the new season and university began again so I didn't really find a good inspiration for writing more. It's sad and unforgivable, I know. If I tell you that I had a scholarship for studying in the US next year to apply to am I forgiven? I thought no too but whatever...**

**For those of you who are still sticking around (thank you for that!) I will give you a brief recap, but if you feel like it, it might be better to go back and read the last bunch of chapters. Alright, our favorite guys have left Italy for Austria and they spent a cloudy day hanging around Graz. I know things have been a little still for a while, but the pace will pick up, I promise!**

**_It's Raining Again_ is a song by Moby. I probably have used it already, but I'm sure you all won't mind.**

**So, I'll stop rambling now, enjoy this belated chapter!**

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**Chapter 11 – It's Raining Again**

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The morning after they departed from Graz it started raining, exactly when they got out of their hotel to catch their train. It had rained during the night, stopped as Meredith and Derek woke up and had their breakfast, then began again when they really needed to be outside and active.

Their morning had been a little slow. They caught up on their sleep and decided to leave for Vienna not earlier than ten. They took a last glance at Graz and its historical city center, before catching another local train and heading to Vienna in the downpour.

Much to their dismay, it rained for the rest of the day. They had to skip riding on the Prater, but they could enjoy the tour visit of Schönbrunn palace, the residence of the Emperors.

Exhausted and a wet from the pouring rain, they sat in cafe in the center, the one where the original Sachertorte was invented. Meredith was already drooling at the mere sight of all that chocolatey goodness while Derek sat amused across from her, watching her eyes scan the menu eagerly.

The room was richly decorated in a typical Austrian fashion, the vibe of the place enough to send them back in time a century or two and pretend there were still carriages and women in big, fancy dresses.

What didn't change was the slice of chocolate cake placed neatly in front of Meredith.

"If I could bake, this is the only thing I'd make. Ever" Meredith stated with a grin, turning the cake to see it from all angles "Honestly, look at it. This is art."

Derek smiled widely and chuckled "So we could skip museums and simply go to fancy restaurants on our next stop?"

"God," she moaned, ignoring Derek's teasing question and focusing her whole being on the morsel she had just eaten.

"Good?"

"Heavenly" she moaned again "C'mon, taste it"

"Mere, I'm not really hungry"

"Taste it, health nut! You're not going to die of chocolate overload"

"Looks like it"

"Just taste it and order another slice" Derek cocked his head amused and she blushed "What?"

Derek didn't reply, he simply shook his head, his lips stretching in a soft, admiring smile. He could tell her that she was incredibly beautiful, right there, sitting with him and eating cake, but he was worried it could change things between them.

Despite the gray light filtering from the windows, she glowed with happiness. If a simple slice of cake could change her day this radically he would make sure they had cake every day.

"Don't be a chicken" she prodded him again, cutting another bite from the cake and moving the fork closer to his mouth.

"Alright" he grinned even wider, stealing the cake as she smirked triumphantly.

He had to admit, he was about to moan too.

"See? Told you it was heavenly"

He didn't correct her, but he ordered another slice, for Meredith's pleasure.

"Aw, look at that baby" Meredith mumbled, her eyes filling with tenderness as she munched on her cake, diverting the conversation to a chubby two-year-old sitting with his parents at a table behind them.

Derek turned around to watch the toddler study the bite of chocolate cake his parents had put in front of him, absolutely fascinated.

"He's cute"

"He's _really_ cute." Meredith quipped, blushing "I'm sorry, it's the sugar. I tend to become mushy when sugar is involved." she apologized "Or tequila"

She mumbled the last part to herself, making Derek smirk.

"I don't mind mushy. I have four sisters. This is not mushy" he grinned easily and she seemed to relax.

"Good"

"Being honest, he reminds me a little of Dean, Nancy's first" he grinned.

Meredith smiled, then looked around, her eyes widening a little "That man reading the paper alone, can you see him?" she bit her lip, amusement shining in her gaze as she pointed towards the man "He's the carbon copy of my high school Biology teacher" she giggled "My gosh, he has a twin" she laughed openly then, Derek joining her.

"That woman running through puddles?" he nodded towards the windows to a woman with a yellow umbrella "She looks exactly like my neighbor in college, if you put her in tight skirts and colorful panties" he chuckled

Meredith's eyebrows rose suggestively "How do you know she had colorful panties?"

"Oh, she showed them to Mark, my best friend" he laughed "And she did laundry"

"You're horrible. And sick. You just don't watch other people's laundry!"

The two of them stared seriously at each other for a millisecond, then burst out laughing loudly until their stomachs hurt.

They recomposed themselves only when Derek's phone rang in his pocket. He managed to keep a straight face as he looked at the screen, only a wide smile on his lips, while Meredith had more difficulty keeping her composure, a giggle or two escaping from her lips.

"Hi Mark" he said, clearing his throat

"Man, you're still alive?" his voice dripped with concern and amusement

"Of course I'm alive" Derek chuckled, watching Meredith bite her lip "How are you and Addie?"

"Good, good. Your mother told me you're taking a sabbatical"

"I'm on holiday Mark. It's not a sabbatical." he snorted at how dramatic his mother could become "I'm in Vienna right now"

"Vienna? What's so interesting there?" Derek could imagine his friend frowning

"Sachertorte. And rain, lots of rain. Oh and a woman that looks exactly like Monica, our college roommate"

"The hot blonde with the colorful underwear?" The fact that he remembered her made Derek lose his composure a little.

"Yep"

"So you're in Europe rebounding girls. Nice, Shep!"

"I'm not rebounding, I'm...traveling" he shot a grin at Meredith

"Your mother also told me you went to visit Amelia and when I called her she told me you took off with a girl" He could imagine the proud grin spreading on Mark's lips and he sighed loudly. Mark was never going to change.

"She's right here"

"Is she hot?" Y_ep, definitely the same old Mark_.

"She is" Derek admitted, grinning widely.

"She's good?"

"How could I know?"

"Damn, lost some points here" Mark quipped, chuckling "She must be an easy lay"

"She's a nice person first, Mark" he sighed, slightly irritated "Her name is Meredith, and she's applying to med school"

"Young!" Mark chuckled "Just when I thought you were boring, you earned yourself some points"

He rolled his eyes "Mark, not everything revolves around getting into someone's pants"

"It pretty much does" Derek could see him nod appreciatively at his statement "It's called perpetuating the species"

"Now I'm gonna hang up" Derek grinned and watched as Meredith half listened to his conversation, half enjoyed her cake, a blissful smile stretched on her features.

"Alright. Oh and Derek, Addie moved in" Mark added casually, a beat of silence falling between the lifelong friends.

"What?" Derek's eyes widened

"Yeah. Brought her toothbrush over or whatever"

"You're not a manwhore anymore, Mark Sloan. I feel like a proud papa" Derek smiled sincerely, chuckling.

"It's not like I proposed" Mark defended his pride quickly.

"Do you want to?"

"I'll ask the king of cheesiness when the time comes, don't worry" Mark chuckled and Derek followed suit.

"I'm not cheesy, I just know things"

"Right," Mark replied in a mock tone "You think you know women because you buy tampons" Mark remarked "Look where Rose left you"

"Let's just forget about her, alright?" Derek snapped, regretting it immediately. It was Mark; he could turn everything into a joke. Sometimes it was a great perk, other times made Derek incredibly mad. This was something right in between those extremes.

"Sorry man. Are you holding up okay?" His concern after the jokes and the laughter was real, proof he was a really good friend.

"Meredith helps" he admitted and her eyes darted up to meet his for a second too long, clearly having heard her name. He smiled reassuringly at her and she smiled back.

"You're in love with her already. Damn Derek, you fall faster than the water from the Niagara"

"I'm not. There's no Niagara here. It's raining though, but I'm eating chocolate"

"Okay, that sentence had zero meaning or coherency but if she has converted the health nut Derek Shepherd to chocolate, I need to thank her"

Derek grinned and covered the speaker with his hand, his eyes locking with Meredith as he mouthed "Mark thanks you" Meredith giggled.

"I'm just going to hang up after this" Mark reproached with amusement, then indeed hung up.

"Mark?" Meredith asked with a gentle smile "Your best friend?"

"The one and only" Derek shook his head at his friend's antics "Addison, his girlfriend, moved in. He was probably freaking out a little"

"Why? He should be excited" she wondered "Well, I'd freak out too if a guy moved in, but..." she whispered to herself but as always, Derek caught it.

"With all the respect, you're not a whore like he was"

Her eyebrows shot up and Derek blushed violently "A whore?" she growled

"I totally phrased that wrong" he groaned, turning even redder "He changed women daily before Addie finally slept with him. He had a crush on her from...forever?"

"But he slept with everybody that had a pulse" Meredith relaxed, finally understanding.

"Well, that's a way to put it" he smiled as well, tension lingering for one last bit before ebbing away from his features as he breathed out "I'm sorry for almost calling you a whore"

"I can call you names once and then we'll be even" Meredith smiled smugly and he shook his head, a gentle smile on his lips.

"Deal"

Their conversation quieted for a moment and they simply kept smiling gently at each other, until something flashed across Meredith's eyes.

"What day is today?" she asked, frantically pulling out her cell phone.

"June 25, I believe" Derek frowned "Why?"

"The college application deadline. It's today" Her breath hitched in her throat "They'll start sending letters tomorrow"

"That's good, right?"

Her frightened eyes seemed to answer otherwise.

* * *

**Mark had to be introduced in this, uh? And that little freakout at the end will not be left alone, don't worry!**

**Thank you to my Beta _MusicWritesMyLife_ who has been patient with me all this time; thank you to all the people who are still out there reading. Hopefully it won't take me months to update this story again; I hope it wasn't disappointing, after all this time. I rode on the Grey's Anatomy wave of happiness (I mean, really? Did *that* really happen?) and decided that this chapter had to be up before the weekend.**

**Let me know if you're still out there reading, then!**

**See you soonish!**


	12. Raise Our Heavenly Glasses To TheHeavens

**See, I can manage an update in a decent span of time, can't I? **

**I'm glad you're still out there reading this, I know it doesn't feel much like summer -except for those of you who live Down Under, hi Aussies!- so it's even more amazing that you are indeed here. Thank you for the silent presence and the reviews, they keep me motivated every day more.**

**Song for this chapter is Squalor Victoria by The National. Listen to that, it will change your life. **

**I don't condone drinking, but I enjoy alcohol, so I act accordingly! You all do the same, alright?**

**Enough rambling, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 12 - Raise Our Heavenly Glasses To The Heavens**

* * *

Derek smiled gently, watching as Meredith fidgeted with her pint of beer, her gaze absent. "Look Meredith, it's not like they send the responses right away, it takes a couple of days for a letter to get into your mailbox"

From the moment in Vienna where she had realized what day it was, she had sort of retreated into her shell, shutting him out.

The ride on the Prater right before hopping on the train directed to Munich didn't change her mood one iota. Not even the sun shining again nor the _Glockenspiel_ show, the small concert of bells and moving puppets in the main square of Munich they were able to watch that same afternoon. It amazed her, surely cheering up her spirit, but as soon as _Marienplatz_ was filled only with the rumble and hum of the people around them, that same lingering sadness returning to her gaze.

Tired of seeing her moping around for the rest of the day, Derek had decided that drastic measures were necessary and brought her to the _Hofbräuhaus_ that evening, the most famous brewery in Munich **—**probably in the world thanks to the fame they gained being the official partner of the _Oktoberfest_.

They sat outside in the fresh breeze under a sun umbrella, a pint of beer each in front of them as they sipped it in silence, the sun barely up in the sky anymore.

"I don't think they're going to accept my applications" she sighed.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm just...ordinary. No sane person takes a sabbatical before graduating" she moaned.

"You're brave, Mere" Derek took her hand in his, but she pulled away quickly "I couldn't do it when I was your age. I could have, but I didn't"

"Because you had somebody waiting for you at home, missing you. Nobody cares where I am right now" she sighed, gulping her beer and wiping away the foam with a flick of her tongue.

Derek lost his train of thought for a moment, mesmerized by the subtle gesture.

"I care about you" he said impulsively and she shook her head, finishing her beer then leaving a couple of bills on the table, before exiting the brewery.

Derek finished his beer quickly and caught up with Meredith in the street "Hey!" he called out to her. When she turned she had never looked so sad.

"I have no idea where we are, I can't even leave you here" she complained, her eyes glassy and he wasn't sure if it was because of her unshed tears or the glow of the streetlamps.

"Look Mere, I care where you are. I might be nobody, but I do care"

She stared at him bewildered for a long second, their gazes clashing, then stated: "I want more beer" and walked away.

She stopped in the next pub on their way and sat on a stool, ordering two pints. He sat warily next to her, unsure if she wanted him there or at the opposite end of the counter. She didn't push him away though; she simply slid the beer and coaster towards him, taking a sip of hers.

They sat there until their glasses were empty, in silence.

She thought about a lot of things as he sat next to her, but not a single one was something happy. She thought about her mother, the disappointment and the fight that would ensure. She let her mind wander to Sadie and her bunch of so-called friends, wondering if they were freaking out over a rejection like she was.

None of these trains of thoughts were happy enough to make her comfortable sharing them with him.

"Tequila" she ordered in defeat and Derek looked at her pleadingly.

She had given in to her old habits after the third beer had no effect on her. Well, the only effect was send her straight to the bathroom after ordering the next drink, but it surely wasn't as numbing as a good old shot of José Cuervo.

She sighed pointedly when she returned from the restroom and saw her shot was waiting for her, glowing slightly under the yellowish lights. She brought the glass to her lips and tipped it in a smooth motion. She welcomed the burning sensation irradiating from her throat down her stomach and let out an automatic small smile.

"So you're an happy drunk" Derek finally broke the slightly awkward silence. The tequila had surely loosened her tongue.

"When tequila is involved I'm always happy" she grinned with a far away look in her eyes that didn't really match her words and she giggled, trying to wipe away the concern from his eyes "Let's toast" she suggested, ordering two more shots with a flick of her wrist, Derek staring at her still with that same moping look "Please"

"Alright" he gave in, head starting to buzz. He still didn't get this wave of sadness but he decided that if he couldn't fight it, he had to at least bring her back to their hostel all in one piece, possibly without anybody trailing along.

"To my failure" she laughed, raising the glass high and he snorted.

"I'm going to toast to a remarkable person" he smiled sadly.

"Whatever" Meredith mumbled as their drinks clinked, a few drops of tequila dripping on the counter before she drowned the liquid.

"You know, my mother is the great Ellis Grey?" she giggled hysterically, clearly too far gone to care "Can you believe she has such a screw-up for a kid?"

"What?" he swallowed, imagining the cold woman he had met only once with a child. A woman he had wished he could work for. Her child was drowning in alcohol right in front of him.

His eyes went wide.

"That's what everybody says" she sighed, turning the empty glass upside-down and staring at it without focus, her fake giddiness disappearing like the tequila in her glasses.

"I'm surprised she has a daughter in the first place. You are remarkable, not a screw up. I toasted to that" he emphasized, watching her frown deepen.

"I'm drunk" she giggled, taking a deep breath.

"I know" he smiled softly, sadly.

"You shouldn't expect me to remember this conversation tomorrow morning" she giggled again, melodically and added, with a hit of real amusement "Stop me when I start saying inappropriate things"

"Like what?" he prodded, knowing that something inappropriate had to come out, and wishing he could bring out a real smile from her.

"Uh, like...um" she began, staring at him deep in thought "You have really great hair. All mousse-y and soft. Can I run a hand through it?" she smiled and made her puppy dog's eyes.

"Great hair has always been on my business card. Right after surgeon" he teased "But you can't touch the hair, I'm sorry"

"Oooh-kay" she sighed dramatically, scoffing and pouting but not bothering asking why. He couldn't say no to her face though when she looked at him with the same look his niece gave him when he denied her candy.

"Alright" he grinned, "Just once"

Her eyes lit up "Really?"

"Go ahead" he tipped his head closer and she studied him for a second, her long, steady fingers trailing on his scalp from his forehead down to the nape of his neck, covering his skin suddenly in goosebumps.

Inappropriate images filled his head at the mere touch.

"Very nice hair" she sighed sadly, a shaky smile appearing on her lips then disappearing as she finished off the latest shot.

He tried to calm his nerves playing with his empty shot of tequila and watching sadly amused as she built a tower with the glasses she had drank during the night, marveled at the significant hand-eye coordination after everything she had drunk. He stole a bunch of appetizers in a forgotten bowl to keep his hands busy and not touch her.

_Touching Meredith? Bad. Really bad. But oh, so tempting_.

He watched as she started swaying with the basses of the music playing and mentally groaned.

"Wanna dance?" she suggested with a glint and he was _this_ close to kissing her.

"I don't really dance in public" he confessed, fidgeting nervously, his voice a little too breathy.

"I'll dance alone" she shrugged and stood up unsteadily, almost falling off balance. "Or maybe not" she giggled as his arm went around her mid section, automatically holding her up.

Their gazes aligned and Derek kept his hand on her hip even when she was safely standing on her own, their contact evoking feelings he had long ago forgotten and buried, having sworn off women after Rose.

Her lips were begging to be kissed, every inch of her warm body to be explored.

"I should get you home" He let out a shaky breath, chastising himself and trying to keep his cool. It definitely wasn't appropriate to take advantage of her vulnerable state.

She nodded, then giggled. "You should"

He grabbed her hand and she felt her grip it tightly, like a lifeline, as he led her outside, in the brisk, slightly chilly night air.

They walked through the city still joined, Meredith sometimes leaning heavily against him, sometimes skipping at his side, until they reached the subway that brought them to their hostel.

She grinned as they stood on the platform, her head resting on his chest heavily as he held her up. "Will you tuck me in?"

He shook his head, lips curving into a wide smile.

"I'm totally gonna blackmail you with that line"

* * *

**Things are definitely getting more interesting! I bet you enjoyed that ;)**

**So, how nice was the last episode? Yeah, the stupid grin on my face? Still there. Apart from the ending, perfect episode.**

**Hopefully, I will be able to update in less than a month time. Anything under that limit is considered a success, but I will try to manage it before 2013. It's almost Christmas, I would love to give you all a treat!**


	13. Of An Emotional Landslide

**Okay it has been a ridiculous amount of time since I have updated this and I am so, so sorry. I admit that I dove into this story a little too lightly, without as much banked chapters as I usually do, and I have regretted it ever since. That's why I'm putting this story on HIATUS. Yeah, that's right, it's an official hiatus after this. I have never gone on hiatus before and I hate that this is the story I need to start with, but I just can't cope anymore without banked chapters. Between exams and real life I really had no time to write more for this. Hope is keeping me pretty busy as well and that is a story that unfolds way more easily than this. Hope will not go on hiatus, but this story needs a lot of polishing and revising before I can even begin to think about posting chapter 14 (which is probably still half-written, duh). I hate to leave you hanging and pining for a new chapter, but at least when I'll finally update again, you know it's gonna be for good.  
**

**Well, now that you're all sad and depressed -believe me, I'm the first one who's disappointed by the way I have handled this-, let's go back to the new chapter. We're moving again and I hope you are honestly going to appreciate this.  
**

**The song is _Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)_ by _Garbage_ and lyrics are totally unrelated with the chapter contents ;)  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 13 – Of An Emotional Landslide**

* * *

Prague followed Munich after a day of quiet and sleep to recover from the hangover and explore the city. Their stop turned out to be quite uneventful, all things considered.

Prague was a great city. They explored a great number of monuments, from the Castle to the Jewish Quarters; passing by the famous Astronomical Clock and taking a lot of photos, enjoying every second of the mild and sunny day.

They were finally relaxing in the empty break room of the hostel where they decided to spend the night, enjoying one of the cold drinks of the vending machines and sitting quietly after a long day of sightseeing, when Derek's phone, after being silent and unused for a few days, suddenly rang, startling them.

"Shit" he muttered under his breath as he read the caller ID.

"Work? Rose?" Meredith inquired, noticing how his smile fell from his lips.

"My mother" he replied flatly bringing the phone to his ear

"You better have a good explanation for this Derek Christopher!" The booming, resolute, scolding voice of Carolyn Maloney Shepherd made him flinch. He stared narrowly at Meredith, wishing a hole in the ground would swallow him.

"Uh, hey Ma" he began, watching as Meredith smirked at his downplayed greeting.

"'Hey Ma'!? When were you going to tell me that you took off with a barely legal girl instead of coming home? And why did I have to learn it from Mark and Amy?"

Derek sighed loudly, having fully expected this "Her name is Meredith, she's twenty-one and she's my friend"

"What were you thinking?! Is this because of Rose?"

Derek nodded apologetically towards Meredith and stood up, knowing that this conversation needed a little more privacy. He moved towards the other side of the room, pacing a little as he tried to explain the situation.

"I'm not...doing things with her! I wanted to go and visit Amy, I met her on the plane. We're both broken Ma and I really need someone to talk to who won't judge or see me as poor Derek left at the altar. I would have stayed in New York if I wanted pity" he growled

"Derek..."

"No, Mom. I'm twenty-eight, for God's sake! I would have been married by know if I weren't dating a cheating whore so stop controlling my life," he spat. "And Meredith is not some kind of cheap, gold-digging slut like Rose was. She's amazing and she's my friend."

He stopped, breathing heavily into the receiver. For a moment, the only sound on the other side was static before Carolyn replied "Derek, I'm sorry. Amy told me that you left with her and that you were pretty comfortable for two strangers, so I assumed -"

"Don't assume," he growled angrily.

"Where are you now?" She quickly changed the subject, trying to manage her anger -and his-, her voice softening to the comfortable whisper Derek remembered fondly.

"Prague. It's a beautiful city," he said simply, still a little upset about her outburst.

"Did Meredith plan the trip?"

"More or less. I suggested Prague, though; she didn't think about it at first"

"So this girl..."

"Meredith"

"Yeah, Meredith. She's twenty-one, right?"

"She's graduating from Dartmouth in the fall. Pre-med. She's thinking about going to medical school, but she's having a hard time deciding if that's what she wants to do, so she took a little sabbatical."

"She's from New York?"

"No, she lives in Boston. She came to New York because the flight was cheaper" He chuckled. "She's pretty independent and she paid for the ticket herself, working in a bar or something near the campus. I respect that. She's strong Ma but she's so carefree..." he trailed off wistfully, a soft smile on his lips.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked softly

"Because I have no idea who I am anymore, Mom. I wake up in the morning and I have no idea who is staring back at me in the mirror. It's not about Rose, I should have ended that a long time ago. I feel like I don't fit anymore."

"But with her, you fit," she concluded for him

He sighed loudly. "I'm sorry I snapped. I'm just tired of feeling pitied for the choices I made."

"I was worried, Derek. Amelia painted her like a little spitfire and I assumed she was just after you." Carolyn sighed, and his remaining anger dissipated.

"I told you, we're fixing each other, Ma. We're friends. We're very good friends," he said, because even if she was attractive and he could imagine having her around forever, being best friends was all they were able muster at the moment.

"What about when the trip is over?"

"I can't think about that day now. I'm in denial, I know, I just can't," he sighed sadly. "We'll figure something out."

"Do you like her?"

"More than I ever liked any other woman before. I know, it's sudden and wrong but she's just -"

"She fits" Her voice had turned motherly again. "I fell in love with your father in a week."

"Oh Mom." He sighed, feeling his heart squeeze in his chest. "It's a mess. I am a mess." He shook his head, despite the fact that his mother couldn't see him. "I can't fall in love with her."

"You can't help who you fall in love with, sweetheart. Or when, for that matter. I'm sure that sooner or later everything will straighten itself out"

"I hope so Ma."

"Look, have fun in Prague and with Meredith. I hope I can hear from you soon"

"I'll try to keep in touch more, I'm sorry I went AWOL. Say hi to the girls for me, okay?"

"I will. Bye Derek"

"Bye Ma. It was nice hearing from you"

"Go back to Meredith, keep her close"

"I'll try." He swallowed as the line went dead and a little nagging thought filled his head. _Could he be already in love with Meredith Grey?_

He walked back and took his seat with a tired smile, determined to forget all about his conversation and his doubts.

"Sorry if I took off," he apologized simply, slumping in his seat.

"Your mother uh?" Meredith smiled smugly, like she knew how it felt to be bugged by her mother.

"Wondering what I was doing with you in Prague. I had to say not so nice things to her"

"Don't worry, I usually bash my mother. It's no big deal."

"You bash the great Ellis Grey?" He grinned, amused, and she smirked smugly.

They sipped their drinks with identical grins when she didn't offer an explanation, before they could be interrupted, this time by her phone.

"Speak of the devil," she groaned, showing him the screen with 'Mother' flashing on it, a deathly creepy song as a ringtone.

"This tune is creepy."

She snorted "It fits her. See how I bash the great Ellis Grey." She smirked, before she answered, the a cold, calculated "What?" taking him by surprise.

She was usually kind, gentle, full of smiles. He had caught her making faces at little kids and smiling at older people. The unexpected coldness almost made him shiver.

The voice on the other side was just as cold. "Are you still waltzing around with my credit cards, Meredith?"

"I paid for the trip with my money; would you have wanted me to starve to death?" She snickered "Did you actually find time to call me in between surgeries?"

"I have the day off."

"Oh, I see. In how many hours are you going to go back in?" Meredith snarled.

"Meredith -"

"It's fine Mother. I'm enjoying myself, okay?"

"What about the letters of acceptance to medical schools I'm holding in my hands?"

For a second Meredith paled, her fears building up again. She needed tequila.

"What about them?" she replied coolly, masking her trembling voice.

"Do you even care about them?"

"I still don't know if I want to go to med school," she spat, confidence seeping back in her tone as her mother confronted her.

"What would you do with your stupid little degree then? Serve tequila in bars? You have a certain affinity with seedy dark places."

"What if I will? Just because I share your DNA doesn't mean I'll be a surgeon."

"You don't have the balls to be a surgeon" Ellis spat.

Meredith froze, blinking back tears.

"What?" Her voice wavered.

"See? You're flinching because I said the truth. What about when you kill someone and your superior calls you on it? Are you going to cry?"

"Are you saying I can't be a surgeon?" she growled.

"You are unfocused. I spoke with your professors at a conference and they all said the same thing. You're treading water."

"Are you saying I can't be a fucking surgeon?" Meredith snarled again, her eyes blazing with anger.

"You'll crack before the end of your internship."

"So tell me why you have damn letters of all those stupid medical schools in your hands! Tell me the fuck why!" Her voice rose, turning a few heads and Derek sat petrified in his chair, eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"They send letters of rejections too," Ellis replied coolly, almost unfazed by Meredith's outburst.

"Open the damn letters now and fax them to my hostel."

"What? You would like to see your failure in person?"

"I don't trust you with the truth. I will never trust you so yes, I want to see the damn letters." Her voice was so harsh, so rough, it made Derek shiver for real. "Hostel Downtown in Prague, you can find the address online. Better yet, make and intern do it."

"Hostel huh? Caught any STDs yet?"

"Shut up! Shut the hell up, Mother!"

"What? You didn't go to Europe with Sadie to have a sexually satisfactory trip?"

"I'm not with Sadie and even if I were, it's not your damn business what I'm doing here. I'm with a friend. His name is Derek and he's a resident at Mount Sinai"

She snorted. "Only one? I didn't think you were capable of having one man in your life after the parties I crashed in my house."

"He's my friend. I can have friends without screwing them!"

"Now what? You tell me that you love him?"

"Screw you Mother! Just fax me the damn letters and go to hell!" Meredith growled, abruptly ending the conversation.

She put her phone on the table and sighed deeply, her hands shaking. When her eyes met Derek's there were tears streaming down her face.

"I hate her Derek. I really hate her," she confessed in a whisper, before she could be overcome by sobs.

"Oh Mere," he sighed, grabbing her hand and scooting his chair closer to hers "I'm so sorry."

"Please don't say anything, please," she cried out, sobbing uncontrollably.

He stood up and picked her up effortlessly, plopping her shaking figure on his lap as he took a seat on the couch behind them. She buried her face in his chest, the tears unstoppable. He rubbed her back gently, soothingly, as she curled up in a fetal position, wishing she could stay in his arms forever.

It felt like forever before she finally sniffled and looked up at him. He managed a small smile as he brushed a stray piece of hair off her face and she smiled back.

"You really did a number on her." He tried to lighten up the atmosphere, and Meredith seemed to relax as well.

"I can't have a normal conversation with her Derek. She just...hates me." She sniffed again "She's incapable of loving me."

"She's missing out," he said simply, catching his tongue as soon as the words left his lips.

For a second, she stiffened in his arms, then relaxed, nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck and breathing him in. She ignored all the butterflies in her stomach, simply rejoicing in the fact that at least somebody loved her. Derek was warm, solid, musk-scented and he cared for her. It had to suffice. He had to be enough.

"Ms. Grey?" One of the young guys at the desk called from the door, a polite smile on his face "There are some documents being faxed for you."

She nodded, reluctantly untangling herself from the safe confines of Derek's arms. "Yeah, I'll be there in a minute"

"Will you be okay?" Derek asked, a little apprehensive.

"I think so. Can we look at them together?"

"Yeah." He smiled, rubbing her shoulder vigorously, then helped her up "Come back here as soon as you're done."

She nodded, wiping away the last remnants of tears before slowly went to the reception desk.

Derek's heart broke for her when he thought about what her mother had said to her. She had basically called Meredith a whore. Not directly, but the meaning was clear. His mother had scolded him and yelled at him, but this was much worse. Being cold was one thing, being completely incapable of love was something else entirely. Ellis Grey seemed to belong to the latter category.

Meredith reappeared in the room with a bright smile and a stack of papers in her hands. She had applied to a lot of places, apparently.

She grinned widely at him "I was accepted everywhere! And not one mentioned my mother," she added proudly, grin widening "I know why she was pissed."

"Congratulations!" He smiled widely as well, pulling her in a hug.

She relished his strong arms enveloping her, crushing her to his chest, mixing her curves with his stronger physique. She loved being in his arms; he made her feel so safe.

"Let me see." He grinned like an excited kid when -too soon- he let go of her and stole the papers from her hands.

He smiled, shuffling through the headlines. "Big names. Very big names"

"I know," she gloated, giggling a little.

"Are you sure you'll apply to one of these medical schools then?"

"Not at one-hundred percent, no. I can confirm when I get back to the States"

"You're still not sure you want to be a doctor, then."

"I do. I want to. But I don't want to become my mother," she admitted, the smile disappearing from her lips and the happiness in her gaze quickly bleeding away.

"You won't. You might get busy along the way but your mother? You'll never be like her." He smiled confidently, squeezing her hand.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." He grinned, and felt the sudden rush to kiss her when she grinned in response.

"Tell me about Columbia, then."

They spent the rest of the night comfortably discussing schools and his life as a medical student in general, wishing that their time together would never end.

* * *

**This is how I'm going to leave them, cozily sprawled on the couch, discussing the complex nature of their existence. Don't be too mad, it's for the greater good.**

**I know Ellis was harsh, just like Meredith, but you need to remember that Meredith is young and everything she has always wanted is to break free from her mother. Now that she has managed to more or less escape, Ellis is still able to find her, which bothers Meredith. Derek is not completely off the hook either, but my most faithful readers know I like Carolyn too much to have her mad at Derek for long ;)  
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**With this words, I officially go on _hiatus_. Don't be too mad and most importantly, be there when I'll start updating again!  
**

**Thank you for your support, I'm so sorry I can't update as often as you would like. You are great readers and you deserve a chapter a day, if only I had the time. Just be patient a little longer...  
**


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